AnginaSymphony
by Kelsey L Leigh
Summary: Even a god can grow jaded and bored.  Restless, Aizen Sousuke walks in the rain, unknowingly changing the notes of a song forever.  AizenxOC.
1. Immaterial

Even a god can grow jaded and bored. Restless, Aizen Sousuke walks in the rain, unknowingly changing the notes of a song forever.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. If I did, I would be the happiest person alive. I also don't own Nightwish's lyrics, because I'm not Tuomas Holopainen. Or any lyrics I use in this story. There'll be a lot of lyrics.

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Angina/Symphony

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First Movement:

_**Enter the Ivory Tower**_

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Chapter 1

Immaterial

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The end.

_The songwriter's dead. _

_The blade fell upon him_

_Taking him to the white lands_

_Of Empathica._

**-The Poet and the Pendulum, Nightwish**

She pushed the door, just closed it, as if someone might hear her doing it. Then she shook herself for being silly. Of course the apartment is empty. It always is, on Thursdays. Her parents are at work, as always, and Thursday is her tutor's day off. She is expected to spend the day studying, but this is Rei's one day of freedom, and she intended to take advantage of it.

She turned the key in the lock, let herself listen to the loud clicking of it. Then she walked down the stairs, down from the apartment into the street below.

Rei wondered what she would do today. She has money to spend, of course she does. Her father's account balance is easy to tinker with, ever since he was foolish enough to type the password in front of her on one of the rare days where he got home before late.

She could do countless normal-people things. She could get ice cream, sit near the Karakura High School kids in their uniforms and pretend they were her friends. She could go to a bookstore, she could sit on a swing in the park down the street. If she was feeling brave, she could even go to a karate class. They let you have a trial lesson for free, and she could always pretend to sign up.

No, it felt like too much energy. Rei decided to go further into town. She waited at a bus stop, waved her arm out to signal. She paid her fare and got on.

She still hadn't yet gotten over the novelty of public transport. While she was on a bus, she was one of the normal people, at least on the outside.

Rei glanced at her reflection in the window. Apart from the pale skin, which lots of people had, there was nothing to indicate how rarely she left her parents' apartment. She had long dark hair, actually black unlike so many other girls whose hair was merely dark brown. Rei tied it back with the ribbon in her pocket. The reflection was too dim to truly show the colour of her eyes. They were the one facial feature Rei actually liked, a nondescript silver-grey like the overcast sky outside. They blended in, fit with the surroundings, something she herself had always wanted to do. The rest of her face was sharp, too knowing somehow, as if the hours of studying on her own or with her tutor were eroding her away until only bones were left.

The bus stopped, and Rei decided to see a movie. She went into the cinema, pointed at something at random, and paid for her ticket.

The darkness of the theatre, the silent warmth of other people and their breathing, was always comforting. Rei breathed in and then out slowly, not paying much attention to the screen.

When it was over she checked her watch. She had plenty of time until her parents got home, until seven or eight at the very least. Rei left the cinema, straightening her skirt. A group of girls in grey Karakura High School uniforms walked past, giggling and talking loudly about something. Rei watched them for a while. They made her feel old. Their skirts were hitched up above their knees, whereas Rei's own was only a short distance from her ankles.

To distract herself she played the airport game, trying to figure out the girls' stories. _The girl with the reddish hair and glasses knits in her spare time_, Rei thought, picking the ideas out of nowhere. _The girl with the short black hair does karate and likes sushi. _

She followed the girls for about half an hour. People never noticed it when she followed them. Rei was invisible out here, no, immaterial. The outside world didn't notice her because she wasn't part of it.

The thought was depressing. That surprised her. Thinking things that were true didn't normally make her sad.

Rei's stomach growled. She used it as an excuse to go and buy sushi. It was something to do. Some weeks Rei looked forward to her one day of being outside, doing whatever she wished without interruption. Other weeks Karakura Town felt more empty and lonely than the inside of her apartment.

This wasn't one of those weeks, but she felt none of the golden air of excitement of the good weeks.

Outside, the concrete of the footpath began to speckle with dark circles of grey, raindrops falling lightly at first and then heavy and fast.

Rei decided to head towards the bus stop. The anime she liked would be on TV soon. She could watch it in the apartment, maybe while eating mi goreng. Mi goreng was comforting, and so was One Piece.

She left the interior of the sushi bar, trying to remember where the bus stop was from here. Rei drew a map in her head and worked it out. She turned left, and as she turned she glimpsed him out of the corner of her eye.

At first glance, there was nothing special about him. He was tall, taller than her, but then Rei wasn't particularly tall for a girl of sixteen. He was walking in the same direction as her. The rain was coming down heavily now. Rei was beginning to regret not bringing her umbrella. The downpour didn't seem to faze this man in the slightest. He kept walking forward, completely unperturbed. Occasionally he glanced around him, as if restless, searching for something. Rei recognised that feeling.

He was only about three metres away from her now, and Rei blushed. He was good-looking, and not much older than her. She guessed he was in his early twenties at the most. A curl of hair hung down between his eyes, dark with rain. Rei guessed its original colour had been brown. He was wearing a suit, the white collared shirt underneath it open at the throat. Rei wondered briefly if the hair hanging in his face irritated him, then revised the thought. He seemed impervious to his surroundings, just as she was.

Someone bumped into Rei from behind. Startled, she stumbled forward, losing her balance on the slick footpath. Her knee hit the ground, she gasped in pain, and felt a hand on her arm, helping her up.

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So this one time I pictured Aizen in a suit while it was raining. Nuff said. I think I'm going to have to draw Aizen in this chapter and post it on DeviantArt or something, so I can share the smexiness of that mental image with everyone.

First ever Bleach fic, please review!


	2. Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

Mmm…tea. I thought it only fitting to drink tea while writing Aizen's POV. Although I don't think he puts in quite as much sugar as I do.

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Angina/Symphony

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Chapter 2

Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

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Remember the first dance we shared?

_Remember the night you melted my ugliness away?_

_The night you left with a kiss so kind_

_Only a scent of beauty left behind. _

…

_Forever shall the wolf in me desire the sheep in you. _

**-Beauty and the Beast, Nightwish**

Aizen wondered momentarily why he'd chosen to walk the human world in a Gigai today.

It wasn't an unusual pastime for him. Initially his life in Hueco Mundo, where he had for all intents and purposes achieved godhood, had been intoxicating. Aizen had been waiting to feel the sensation of absolute power within his grasp for more than a hundred years within Seireitei, and now he had dominion over the realm of the fallen spirits, the Hollows. He had transcended humanity, he had transcended his own existence as a Shinigami.

Nevertheless, even as a god, he began to grow bored in Las Noches. The lack of intelligent company was tiring. Admittedly Aizen preferred his own company in general, but he would have liked the option of conversing with someone other than Ichimaru Gin.

Of course Gin was his loyal subordinate, his immediate second-in-command, and Aizen wouldn't have wished anyone else to hold that position of trust. But his lieutenant's sarcastic wit grated on Aizen's nerves after a while. And Kaname never said much of interest. Not that Aizen cared. Calling Kaname a pawn would be high praise indeed. The same could be said of his Espada, even Ulquiorra.

So Aizen fashioned himself a Gigai. Even though the creation of artificial bodies had been part of the Twelfth Company's area of expertise rather than his own, the Gigai had turned out well. Obviously he had needed to make the Gigai able to mask his reiatsu, otherwise any Shinigami within a ten-spirit-mile radius would know his location. Doubtless the captains of the Gotei 13 would be down on him within seconds of that happening. Aizen knew he could defeat any of his former comrades with ease, but had no desire to go searching for a fight until the time came.

When the boredom weighed him down, Aizen walked among the humans in Karakura Town. It was amusing, in a way. He was omniscient, omnipotent, and yet the humans thought he was one of their own. But then, who could blame them?

Outwardly, in his Gigai, there was nothing out of the ordinary about his appearance. Occasionally Aizen felt himself being watched, but it was usually by young women who tried to catch his attention. That amused him further. It was painfully obvious what they wanted of him. Their methods were so transparent, the pushing-up of skirts, slightly parted lips. Occasionally Aizen deigned to give in to his last weakness with a few of them.

It was always disappointing. Physically enjoyable in most cases, but nevertheless disappointing. None of the women Aizen slept with were really what he would call desirable. Of course they had all been physically attractive, otherwise bedding them would never have been an option to begin with. But none of them truly displayed innocence, submission. Some of them had even tried to be the dominant party in the brief physical relationship with him. Aizen let the woman in question believe that for a while, then tore it out from under her. That was always fun. But it grew tiresome after a while.

A drop of water fell on the back of his hand. It was followed by more soon after, until the spatter of droplets turned into a downpour. It didn't bother Aizen. Rain wasn't something that had ever bothered him, even in Soul Society. He couldn't understand why so many people were so averse to it.

Even now, many of the humans around him were putting up umbrellas, pulling the hoods of coats over their heads. A group of teenage girls in school uniforms nearby squealed, running for shelter. Aizen glanced at them with more than a little disdain. Young girls were the opposite end of the spectrum, as far as his experience of women went. They were children, compared to himself; as all humans were, but even more so than usual. They never saw beyond their localised little world.

Aizen could feel humans shooting him strange looks. He was soaked by now, but didn't really care. He supposed he would return to Hueco Mundo soon. There was nothing much to do here.

A short distance ahead of him, a girl was knocked off balance in the crowd of people trying to shelter themselves from the rain. She fell over, her knee thudding against the ground.

Because she was near him, and Aizen was playing the part of a human, he knelt down and took her by the arm.

The girl turned her head to look at him. She looked the same age as the girls in uniforms, but was thin and pale and serious-looking. Aizen glanced at her eyes. They were a light silver-grey, and had a watchful intensity about them that was oddly compelling. They were wolf's eyes, almost, and Aizen gave an internal chuckle at the irony. Here he was, a wolf in sheep's clothing, helping a sheep with the eyes of a wolf.

'Are you all right?' he asked, gently pulling her to her feet.

She nodded. 'Thank you.' Aizen glimpsed a blush on her cheeks. It was a pallid blush, barely noticeable on her skin, but it was there. He smiled to himself. She had been pulled in by his spell, the invisible spell that seemed to be woven into the flesh of his Gigai through no intention of his own.

'Would you like me to walk with you?' he offered, false concern in his voice. 'That fall must have hurt your knee.'

The girl chewed her lip, looking hesitant. A damp strand of black hair fell over her right eye. Aizen was surprised at her reluctance. He had expected her to agree to anything he suggested without a second thought, as every woman he'd spoken to in this world did. Although this child could hardly be called a woman.

As if summoning up the courage, she took in a deep breath. 'Thank you. That's very nice of you.'

'Think nothing of it,' Aizen replied, taking her arm. There was more of that blush in her face at that. She really _was_ a child, he thought to himself. He supposed she was painfully shy or some such.

'May I ask your name?' he said.

Her eyes were downcast, looking worried again. Then she looked up at him. 'I'm Amane Rei.'

'My name is Sousuke,' Aizen replied, because he hardly needed some human schoolgirl letting slip to Kurosaki Ichigo that she'd met him. His given name was fairly common in the human world, he knew.

Although this girl didn't look like she could hold a conversation with loud-mouthed Kurosaki, Aizen preferred not to take the chance.

The girl - Rei - paused when they reached a bus stop. 'Thank you for helping me, Sousuke-san,' she murmured, moving her arm away from his own.

'It was my pleasure,' Aizen replied formally, moving away from her with a wave.

The encounter hadn't been as entertaining as he'd expected it to be. Even affecting human lives in his Gigai, in small mundane ways, had grown boring.

Aizen continued walking through the rain. He supposed he would head outside the boundaries of Karakura Town to set up the Garganta. It wouldn't do to have anyone see him.

It didn't matter that he was bored, in any case. When winter came, the life of Aizen Sousuke would be anything but boring.


	3. Jaggerjack

Please tell me I'm not the only one that thinks Aizen the Evil Bastard is deserving of obsessive devotion.

Rei needs hugs, by the way. She has a cold, just like me. And as you can probably guess by the chapter title, Grimmjow has his debut! I'm very excited to be writing this, because Grimmjow is so unbelievably awesome.

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Angina/Symphony

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Chapter 3

Jaggerjack

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One thoughtless moment passes in slow motion.

_As I lie down, I realise that_

_All I wish_

_Is to get rid of this obsessive devotion. _

**-The Obsessive Devotion, Epica**

Absentmindedly, Rei brushed out her hair. She sneezed, almost dropping the brush. She'd caught a slight cold during her outing in the rain a week ago. Usually she hated being sick, in any shape or form. It was bad enough that she was technically an invalid already.

But somehow the cold wasn't really bothering her.

Rei mentally dismissed the 'somehow.' Of course she knew why the sneezing wasn't irritating her as it usually did. The bout of honey lemon and tissues and astringent cough medicine was the trade-off for her meeting with the stranger.

Although he'd given her his name, he was still mostly a stranger to her. The only difference was that she had a label to put to his face. Rei knew nothing of Sousuke's story, what kind of person he was.

_Idiot, _she thought to herself. _He was just a nice man who noticed me falling over like a clumsy person and stopped to help. I don't need his life story. _

He had noticed her, though. No one ever noticed Amane Rei, the invisible, immaterial girl. In her long dark skirts and winter coats, Rei had never attracted so much as a glance from any of the Karakura High School boys on any of her illicit outings.

_Sousuke, _she thought, trying out his name on her tongue. For a moment Rei was irritated with herself. She had spent her entire life away from the whole world except for her parents and tutor, and the first time a member of the opposite gender paid even the slightest bit of attention to her -

_You'll probably never see him again, _she thought to herself. Surprisingly, the thought depressed her. _He wouldn't even remember you if you saw him again. _

Rei stood up, leaving her bedroom, and moved into the bathroom. Her reflection stared at her from above the sink.

Was she pretty? After a few minutes of close inspection, Rei decided she wasn't. Her face was too thin, her eyes too sharp and confronting. She was too stark to be considered beautiful. Perhaps if she'd been born blonde, she could have passed for fair rather than orphan-waifish. Rei mentally cursed her mother's hair allele for being recessive. _What's the point in being British-Japanese? _she thought grumpily. She had managed to inherit the faulty heart gene, but none of the looks on either parent's side.

_Maybe when I'm older? _she thought, then rejected the notion. She was already sixteen. What she saw now was the best of what she was going to get. She sneezed again, and winced.

Maybe she would go into the kitchen and make tea. It was her day off again, but Rei had no desire to go outside while feeling as if her head was stuffed full of soggy cotton wool.

She boiled the kettle, opened the cupboard and pulled out the sheet of cold pills. She poured her tea, popped two out of their silver foil casing and took them.

_If only Sousuke-san could see you now, _she thought. _Clumsy, ugly and infectious. You've really hit the trifecta. _

Rei thought about watching her One Piece DVDs, then decided against it. She didn't feel like One Piece today. Instead she hunted for the movie her dad had paid for over the Internet. Rei had left the house on a Thursday to go and see Inception, and wanted to experience it again.

Curled up on the couch, she drank her tea, the visuals unfolding in front of her. Rei wished momentarily that she could be like Ariadne, the architect. What a feeling that would be, to create something where there was nothing, to warp and flex and bend the fabric of the world.

But she had little enough control over her own life, let alone a dream world.

The movie finished. Hungry, Rei went into the kitchen. Her mother had left a note that morning, saying that they were unlikely to be back before ten. It was getting late now. The sky was beginning to dim outside. The cold pills had done their job - Rei felt almost normal now, and regretted not going out. Waiting until three in the afternoon to take them had been a stupid idea. She had wanted to sleep in for once, take advantage of that luxury.

She opened the window, peering out. The air was cool with the impending night, and Rei breathed in deeply. Her eyes were half-closed, so she almost missed the figure standing far down below. When she did catch sight of him she breathed in sharply, causing her to cough. Once the fit of coughing had subsided, Rei leaned out the window, angling her body.

He had an air of restless, impatient energy about him, even though he wasn't moving. In fact, his stillness seemed to belay a sense of quiet before the storm. Even from this far away, Rei could tell that quiet was rare in this man's case. He was all about the storm.

He had blue hair, which wasn't too unusual. Many of the Karakura High School kids, and the dropout punks with them, had strangely dyed hair. It was only when he finally moved, short angry steps that made Rei think he was about to kick something, that she noticed the hole.

Her first thought was that he'd been horribly injured, but no, the hole in the man's abdomen was too neat and circular for that. And he seemed to be moving around easily, entirely without pain. And there was no blood.

What…was he?

Rei thought for a moment, then came to a decision. She pulled herself back inside, shut the window, and hunted for her door keys. When she found them she half-walked, half-sprinted for the door.

Cold or no cold, she wasn't going to miss this.


	4. Moondance

This fic currently bears the M rating for Grimmjow's bad language. But we love him anyway.

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Angina/Symphony

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Chapter 4

Moondance

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Through scornful declarance and luminous eyes

_The shadows enveil with the glorious night_

_Trespassing the sunset like thou hast before_

_Entreating the daylight to rage nevermore_

_Angina striking Elysium. _

**-Angina, Tristania**

That bastard Ulquiorra.

Grimmjow glared at nothing in particular. _What kind of fuckin' idiot is he? _he thought to himself, annoyed.

At times he thought that Ulquiorra was more human than Hollow, as impossible as he knew that was. Then Grimmjow would look at the Fourth Espada, and be reminded that Ulquiorra was completely soulless.

No being with a soul could follow Aizen's will so completely, so devoid of any feelings of its own.

In Grimmjow's thoughts, his creator was not named as Aizen-sama, but simply Aizen. Aizen had created him and the other Arrancar, it was true. Aizen had merged with the Hougyoku, Aizen ruled Las Noches and Hueco Mundo. Aizen was as good as a god, with the powers of a god, but there was one thing Aizen would never be able to change.

Aizen was a Shinigami, and Hollows did not accept Shinigami as their masters. At least Grimmjow did not. In all honesty, the only person he would ever be able to see as his master - his king, even - was himself.

For the most part Grimmjow didn't object to following Aizen's orders. Aizen had made him stronger, and Grimmjow was grateful for that, as grateful as he was capable of being.

But Grimmjow Jaggerjack, the Sexta Espada, _did _object to the necessity of taking orders from the likes of Ulquiorra Schiffer. More than anything he hated being inferior to Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra, who seemed to take pleasure in relinquishing his freedom. Ulquiorra, who adhered to Aizen's every command with nothing save silent, obedient consent. Ulquiorra, who seemed to have forsaken his Hollow side for the sake of logic and his precious Aizen-sama.

It made Grimmjow sick, and so did the fact that Ulquiorra hadn't even bothered to kill this Kurosaki Ichigo kid.

_He isn't a threat? Fuck that shit. And fuck Ulquiorra, and fuck Aizen. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. _

The Garganta closed behind them, and Grimmjow turned back to glance at his Fracción. 'Kill anyone with the slightest shred of reiatsu!' he ordered.

It had been a while since Grimmjow had had a good fight. The moon was high and clear, and the Sexta Espada lifted his head. He tilted his face to the sky of the material world, and thought.

He hoped Ulquiorra had been wrong about Kurosaki Ichigo. Grimmjow didn't want this to end quickly.

He grinned, feeling the shift of reiatsu as his Fracción performed their Sonido. Grimmjow knew that they knew him well enough to leave him the strongest opponent. He could sense them nearby, as well as their opponents. The Fracción were closing in on their prey.

They would finish them soon. His Fracción had never been taught restraint, or mercy.

Neither of those were attributes Grimmjow himself possessed. Unlike Ulquiorra, _he _was a true Espada.

'I'm coming for you, Kurosaki Ichigo,' he hissed under his breath.

One thing was certain - that the Soul Reaper wasn't going to survive the night. Grimmjow hoped to at least get a decent fight out of him first, though.

The moon shone ascendant overhead. Grimmjow barely noticed it. He'd never been one for all that poetic shit. Grimmjow only paid attention to what he could see, and smell, and touch.

And, in the case of tonight, kill.

Grimmjow wasn't worried about retribution on Aizen's part. He was only doing what Ulquiorra was supposed to have done. Aizen wouldn't punish one of his Espada for killing a child Shinigami that might grow up to be his equal someday. Even if a punishment for his actions _was_ likely, Grimmjow didn't fear it. Grimmjow Jaggerjack didn't recognise the concept of fear. He ignored it, just as he ignored the concept of having a master that wasn't himself, just as he ignored the concept of Aizen as his lord.

Something moved behind him, some distance away. Grimmjow turned. All he saw was a streetlight, the entrance to an alley. It was probably some animal. In any case, he couldn't sense any reiatsu.

In the possibility that some human _had _seen him - which was unlikely - the lack of detectable reiatsu meant that he or she couldn't possibly be a match for Grimmjow. Even if that was possible, Grimmjow didn't particularly give a fuck.

He was no Shinigami, with their reiatsu limits to avoid disturbing the human souls. Human souls existed only for him to devour.

And Grimmjow, along with the rest of his kind - the _true _Hollows, not the Shinigami pretender scum like Ulquiorra Schiffer - was always hungry.

He grinned again, exposing his teeth, which were long and sharp even in his usual form. He could sense Kurosaki Ichigo's reiatsu nearby, strong but unstable.

It reminded Grimmjow of himself.

'First you, then Ulquiorra,' he murmured under his breath. He walked towards his objective, not using Sonido. Sonido was a battle technique, not a means of transport.

Perhaps he would use Sonido in his fight with Kurosaki Ichigo, perhaps not. Perhaps Grimmjow would draw the fight out, but not too long. Already the material world tired him. His desire for a fight was tempered only slightly by a desire to return to Hueco Mundo.

Well, he would return to Hueco Mundo soon enough.

Grimmjow looked at the house in front of him, and rested his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Soon his blade would dance, leaving its bloody trail all over Kurosaki Ichigo.


	5. Goodbye Cruel World

So today the election to determine the next Prime Minister of Australia was run, and I voted for the first time in my life. It wasn't really very exciting. At the time of writing, I still don't know who the next leader of my country is. At the time of finishing this chapter (read: three days later) I still don't know. You've got to love a 'too close to call.'

Damn, I should have drawn an extra box on my ballot paper. Aizen Sousuke for Prime Minister. Hells yeah. We'd just sit around drinking tea and wearing evil-looking white robes of doom. Oh, and everyone in Australia would have a lock of hair hanging in his/her face. And we'd start going to Specsavers.

Or Batman. I think Batman would make a pretty awesome Prime Minister.

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Angina/Symphony

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Chapter 5

Goodbye Cruel World

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I linger in the doorway

_Of alarm clock screaming_

_Monsters calling my name. _

_Let me stay, where the wind will whisper to me_

_Where the raindrops, as they're falling,_

_Tell a story. _

**-Imaginary, Evanescence**

Rei rubbed her arms, shivering. _Stupid, _she thought. She was still wearing the oversized white shirt that she usually slept in. She hadn't bothered to change all day. Being in bed sick did that to you.

No, she couldn't use that as an excuse. She should have at least put some jeans on before going outside. The shirt reached almost to her knees, but provided very little protection against the chilly night air.

Thankfully there was no one else around to see her. She could be mugged, or worse. That made Rei shiver again, and not from the cold. Suddenly she regretted not taking the free karate class.

_Get a hold of yourself, _she thought, trying to inject some firmness into it. She looked ahead, keeping her eyes on the blue-haired man. At least being invisible was good for something. He hadn't seen or heard her. Yet.

He moved into the moonlight, and Rei's eyes flickered down to his shadow. The shape was there too, bright and white when it should have been filled in dark. Glancing at his torso again, she saw it. The hole was flawlessly symmetrical, carved into him with the mathematical precision of a perfect circle.

_What are you? _she thought again. It felt as though she was stuck in a dream. Nothing around her felt quite real, except - strangely enough - the man with a hole in him. His outline was sharper than the rest of what Rei could see. It was as though the rest of her vision had dulled slightly, just a touch off twenty-twenty, while the figure in the centre remained clear.

Rei took a step forward, almost unthinkingly. Her bare foot made the slightest of noises as it moved across the pavement, and the blue-haired man turned. Rei knew there was no way he could possibly see her. She was standing behind a corner, turned to the side. There was no way he could see her from his vantage point.

And yet -

Rei held her breath when she saw his face. At first she thought it was a trick of the light. She looked closer, and saw it more clearly, the teeth of the skull-like mask covering part of his face.

Maybe there was something wrong with her eyesight? Rei rejected that idea. She had always had perfect vision, been proud of it even. Her heart condition had made her that way. She didn't overlook the few parts of her that had nothing whatsoever wrong with them.

No, what she was seeing in front of her was real. Rei saw the gleam of blue eyes, something almost predatory in them. The man seemed to dismiss whatever sound he'd heard, and continued walking.

The relief she felt when she realised, finally, that he was no longer looking at her was amplified by - what, exactly?

Rei realised she was - not quite happy, but - _excited. _She struggled to make sense of the emotion, and realised that it was composed partly of relief as well. She was relieved, and thrilled, that her existence had been interrupted by something as real as it was fantastic.

The moon seemed higher overhead now, and Rei wondered how much time had passed since she'd left the apartment. It couldn't have been long. Although it was cold, her feet hadn't grown numb yet. She could still feel the pavement underneath the bare skin on her toes.

The blue-haired man paused before her, and all of a sudden he disappeared. Rei gasped, then felt her chest tighten as she saw him reappear far above her. Somehow he was standing in the sky.

'What the hell? D-Roy's been killed?' he called out. 'Whatever. I'll just have to kill both of you, then!'

Rei's gaze moved back down to the ground, about twenty metres away from her. She saw three figures, darker than the blue-haired man. One was a girl in a Karakura High School uniform, who Rei only vaguely recognised. She had short dark hair, and was sitting a short way away from the other two.

There was another girl with short dark hair dressed in black robes, carrying a white sword. Rei couldn't tell for sure at this distance, but she looked very similar to the Karakura High girl. Standing beside her was an orange-haired boy, in the same black uniform.

Rei retreated further into the shadows. The urge to sneeze crept over her, and she suppressed it. Doubtless standing outside at night watching strange people who might or might not be mythical creatures would make her cold worse, but Rei was going to sit this out.

'It's a pleasure to meet you, Shinigami,' the blue-haired man continued. 'I'm Arrancar Six, Grimmjow!'

Grimmjow - was that his name? Rei supposed so. Shinigami? So the boy and girl were - death gods? They didn't look like gods. But then the man with blue hair shouldn't have that circular hole in him. The laws of reality, of what should and shouldn't exist, had been pushed aside for now. Maybe they had never really existed to begin with.

What was an Arrancar? Rei had no idea, but was stopped from wondering by what was happening in front of her.

The blue-haired man - _Grimmjow, _Rei mentally corrected herself - disappeared again, reappearing near the girl 'Shinigami'. Extending one arm, he struck her in the solar plexus. The girl collapsed, falling to the ground.

Everything that happened after that was too quick for Rei to follow. Her eyes, which she'd believed were perfect, were struggling and failing to keep up. The orange-haired Shinigami charged Grimmjow, swinging what looked like a massive sword. There was a flare of light, and the Shinigami boy fell back.

Rei stared, fascinated. At times she had to distance herself from the fight, remind herself that it was real. The fact that multiple laws of physics were being ignored right in front of her didn't help. She thought absently that her parents were probably home by now. A little later, she realised it didn't really matter. It was almost as though her mundane life was the dream, and what was happening in front of her had become the new reality.

The Shinigami boy attacked again. In a motion that was too fast for Rei to see, one of the two of them collided with a nearby building. She couldn't tell who, and the resulting dust cloud only made visibility worse. On top of that, both Grimmjow and the orange-haired Shinigami kept disappearing and reappearing. Whenever Rei thought they'd finally slowed down enough for her to watch what they were doing, they sped up again.

She barely noticed the chill now.

One of the two struck the other. A figure fell down towards the road, and Rei realised it was the orange-haired boy. Grimmjow disappeared and reappeared, some distance down. The orange-haired boy was on his back, struggling to get up. The impact of his fall had left a _crater. _

_The Shinigami is losing, _she thought. _Grimmjow's too strong for him. _

As if reading her mind, Grimmjow approached the Shinigami. Rei noticed that he was walking, rather than doing his teleportation trick. Nevertheless, he was upon the Shinigami before too long.

The resulting fight - if it could even be called a fight - was one-sided. Again and again Rei watched as Grimmjow hit the Shinigami boy. She saw his neck jolt limply with each punch, and felt a little sick. _Hurry up and fall over, _she thought. _Put yourself out of your misery. _

Then Rei remembered what Grimmjow had said. _I'll just have to kill both of you, then. _

She was going to watch the orange-haired boy die. Rei's first instinct was to try and do something to help him. Then she checked herself. _What can you do? _she thought. _He has a sword, and he couldn't defend himself. _

Then Grimmjow kicked the Shinigami. The momentum of the collision sent him moving backwards, and he stood there, as if waiting for his fallen opponent to stand again. He said something, which Rei couldn't quite hear. Much to her surprise, the Shinigami staggered to his feet.

He raised his sword, shouting something. The strange light which moved out of it in a curve of explosive power was unlike anything Rei had ever seen. Black, it seemed to consume the moon as it passed in the sky.

Grimmjow blocked the strike with both arms. He was closer to her now, although she wasn't in his line of sight, and Rei could see blood glistening on his arms, chest and forehead. Compared to the Shinigami, though, Grimmjow's injuries were light grazes.

'What the hell was that?' He paused. 'Ulquiorra didn't tell me about that move, Shinigami.'

The orange-haired boy called out a response, and Grimmjow laughed. 'Bring it on, Shinigami!'

It was then that Rei began to notice the cold again, sharp on her skin. Most of the sensation was due to surprise.

The fabric of the air seemed to be stretching, splitting at the seams just behind Grimmjow. Less than five metres from Rei, the seams broke to show a roaring throat of darkness, a cold and eternally hungry mouth.

The man who stepped out of it seemed to be completely unaffected by the atmosphere that had Rei shivering. He was as unlike Grimmjow as it was possible to be. He had dark skin, hair black like her own in dreadlocks, and wore a visor over his eyes. Like Grimmjow, he was dressed in a white outfit.

Grimmjow's stare of astonishment, and dismay, indicated to Rei that the newcomer was his superior, and that his superior wasn't at all happy.

'Tousen!' he exclaimed. 'Why the hell're you here?'

The dark-skinned man waited a moment to respond. 'Why, you ask?' His voice was heavily sarcastic. 'You really don't know?' He paused, then carried on. 'You take it upon yourself to invade the real world, mobilise five Arrancar and then lose them in battle.'

_Five _Arrancar? So there were more - people like Grimmjow in Karakura Town? Rei was confused. Surely she would have heard something, seen something -

_I don't think so, _her inner voice said. _It's likely that these - Arrancar and things have been around for a lot longer than just tonight. Somehow, you only just developed the ability to see them recently. _

Rei decided to think on the implications of that later.

'You are in violation of your orders,' Tousen continued. 'You understand, don't you? Aizen-sama is furious, Grimmjow.'

Before Rei had time to wonder who 'Aizen' was, Tousen gestured at the split in reality behind them. The blackness behind it still left a chill on her skin, and Rei rubbed her arms again.

'Come. Your punishment will be decided in Hueco Mundo.'

Grimmjow made a derisive noise. 'Whatever.'

Privately, Rei felt sorry for him, even after witnessing his fight with the Shinigami. He'd left this Hueco Mundo place without permission, made his superiors angry.

He was just like her. Even now, her parents had probably called the police. Presumably that was what people did when someone was missing. Rei didn't know. All she had in her repository of knowledge were TV shows.

Both Grimmjow and Tousen walked into the split, leaving the Shinigami behind in the crater in the road.

Rei watched them slowly melt into the blackness. The dissolution of their shapes acted as a catalyst of sorts in her mind, causing her train of thought to travel at almost the speed of light.

As the rip in space began to close, she wondered if she could really stomach going back inside the apartment. Rei thought, and pictured the argument that would follow. Her Thursdays would be restricted. Her father would call on the apartment phone line throughout the day, to make sure she was still at home. The one small window she'd looked out of, in her ivory tower, would be bricked over and taken away.

She would be stuck in the same depressing cycle of study, sleep, medication, possibly a surgery in the next few years or maybe even months. She could leave home at eighteen if she wished, but that would require money, and she needed a job to provide that kind of money.

Gradually, Rei came to realise that she could choose between two chilly dark futures. One was in her head, predicted, forecast, and certain to happen if she stayed. The other was in front of her, completely unknown, just five metres away and gradually closing.

With the same heightened thought function, Rei made a decision. She was a sixteen-year-old, albeit a sixteen-year-old home schooled prodigy, and she was smart enough to know that any adult in the world would say that her decision was the wrong one.

But she wasn't an adult, and it was her decision to make.

Rei sprinted the five metres and half-leapt, half-fell, into the void.

* * *

Sorry about chapter 4 and most of this one. I'm aware that was basically a recap of what happened in the series. Although I did try to make it more about Grimmjow character development with respect to this story. And yeah, I did alter it a bit, so that I could have Rei going into the Garganta. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter, whoever you are.

Oh, and please review. Grimmjow wants you to review too, because he kicked (Ichigo's) ass in this chapter. Review, or Grimmjow will break you. Just like he broke Ichigo.


	6. Inferno

That was a good Chemistry exam. I lolpwned those nucleophilic substitution reactions in the face. And spectroscopy never knew what hit it.

And I have a job! And it's not retail! I got hired at a pharmacy to get trained to make up people's drug prescriptions. So if I work lots, I may not write as much. *sadface* Oh well. I will have money, so it's all good.

And I am way too into this story to stop writing it for too long.

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Angina/Symphony

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_

Second Movement:

_**The Illusionist**_

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Chapter 6

Inferno

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The dreamer and the wine

_Poet without a rhyme_

_A widowed writer torn apart by chains of hell. _

_One last perfect verse_

_Is still the same old song_

_Oh Christ, how I hate what I have become. _

**-The Poet and the Pendulum, Nightwish**

Where, exactly, _was _she?

Grimmjow and Tousen were nowhere to be seen. Rei turned her head blindly. She could feel the blackness pressing against her eyes. It was on her hands and legs, cold on every part of her covered in vulnerable exposed skin. It didn't feel like anything in particular, because it was nothing. The blackness didn't even feel like air. It was a miasma, viscous and not really there once you were close to it.

It was like the fabric of dreams.

Was this hell? It didn't _feel _like hell. It was cold, not even freezing but just uncomfortable. Why had she only gone out of the house in a shirt, and a thin shirt at that?

Rei knew the answer to that question. _Curiosity killed the cat, _she thought idly, and tried to walk forward.

She was considerably surprised and more than a little alarmed when she discovered she couldn't move her foot forward more than a few centimetres.

Rei had to consciously clamp down on her mind to prevent herself from panicking. There had to be some way of moving in here, she told herself. Grimmjow and Tousen had done it.

But then, they clearly had powers of some sort, which she didn't.

The traitorous panic welled up again, and Rei forced it down. It was then that she realised she was sinking.

She could feel the miasma slowly changing direction, streaming gently upward as she moved downwards. It felt like drowning in slow motion. Rei had been given swimming lessons when she was younger. She had never forgotten the helpless terror of being surrounded by water and sinking, arms and legs flailing in a vain effort to keep her head above the surface.

Rei had of course worked out that the fastest way to remove the swimming lessons as a necessity was to master swimming as quickly as possible, and so she'd gritted her teeth and moved her arms and legs as the instructor had told her to. But she had never stopped hating and fearing water deeper than her own head height, and had never let go of the deep-seated fear of drowning.

Now it was here again, that old fear, and Rei had to use all the logic and reason and rationality in her to prevent a descent into screaming, sobbing hysterics. _Think, _she thought. _You can't swim, because whatever this is, it inhibits movement. So what can you do?_

The blackness swirled around her ponderously. Rei could feel it moving over her head, encasing her.

What did it feel like? To her body, it felt like cold, thick - nothingness. There was no texture on her skin, only the briefest of impressions of current within the darkness.

But to her mind, it felt like -

The fabric of dreams.

Supposedly lucid dreams were rare, among normal people. But Rei knew she wasn't like other people. Perhaps that was why her dreams were more often lucid than not.

In a lucid dream, the dreamer knew they were dreaming, and could alter aspects of the dream as they wished. Rei had never tried to do anything ambitious in that respect. The most she ever did was gently steer the course of the dream, away from the desperation and depression that were present most of the time in her waking life.

It was insane, she knew, but she didn't have any better options. And for all intents and purposes, she had left reality and sanity behind when she'd stepped into the rift.

Rei projected her thoughts at the nothingness around her, trying to shape it just as she did the course of her dreams. It was harder, much harder. She had to keep a much tighter rein on her train of thought, rather than letting it roam freely as she usually did.

Eventually Rei got the hang of it and was rewarded with a solid shape under her feet. She thought the blackness away from her eyes and saw that it had a cool translucent look to it, like ice with tendrils of bubbles frozen into it. She had been trying to form the substance around her into something solid to stand on, and she'd succeeded.

The step underneath her began to splinter at the edges, fragments falling away into the miasma. Rei forced her concentration back to it. Obviously the steps she made wouldn't last long. She would have to make more if she wanted to walk somewhere, one by one.

But what direction should she walk in?

Rei reached out with her mind, feeling blindly for something, anything, other than dream-stuff. Eventually she succeeded in finding - an _impression _of a place, almost. She felt sand, smooth and finer than the sand under her toes had been during a visit to the beach when she was eight. There was grey sky and empty space, no viscous darkness.

_That must be Hueco Mundo, _Rei thought, remembering the name Tousen had mentioned. _Unless it's possible to get to other places from here. _

In any case, it didn't matter if it was. Rei had made the decision to pursue an unknown future, no matter what it might hold.

She made more steps, gradually moving in the direction she'd sensed. As she made new ones, the older ones a few paces behind her crumbled away. Rei got better at manipulating the nothingness around her with time. Soon she was able to think idly as she worked.

She wondered if there was anything she would miss about - what had Tousen called it? _The real world, _Rei thought.

She supposed she would miss watching One Piece, and then felt irritated with herself. Of all the things to miss about home, anime had to be one of the most trivial. It just added weight to Rei's conviction that she wouldn't be leaving much behind.

A little later, she did think of something, something that was possibly even more trivial. She remembered a man in a suit, the suit and his hair dark with rain. She remembered the warmth of his arm through the suit, the curl of hair hanging in his face.

'Sousuke,' she said aloud to the blackness, taking comfort in the fact that no one could hear her.

At the very least she would be able to put that silliness behind her, once and for all, wherever she ended up. Rei very much doubted she would ever see Sousuke again, particularly if she managed to make her way to Hueco Mundo.

* * *

LOL Rei has no idea about Sousuke - cough cough Aizen. None at all. Her ignorance makes me laugh. I'm a horrible creator. If I'd created the Espada, they'd probably all hate me. I can just see Szayel turning me into a voodoo doll and Grimmjow stabbing me in my sleep.

Ichimaru Gin-san's famous grin (and Gin-san himself, of course) are going to be in the next chapter! Who's excited?


	7. Observatory

Angina/Symphony

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Chapter 7

Observatory

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Come on down to the other side_

_Come with us through the gates of hell_

_Where we'll drag you from where you are_

_To where you belong. _

**-The Other Side, Pendulum**

Ichimaru Gin leaned against the wall. Despite the ever-present grin on his face, it was obvious to anyone observing who knew Gin well that the Shinigami was rather bored.

Szayel Aporro Granz privately wished that Aizen-sama's second-in-command would find somewhere else to be bored. He didn't appreciate the presence of anyone besides himself and his Fracción in his palace. It was his own corner of Las Noches, his personal space so to speak, and Szayel had never been one to share his personal space.

But he remained silent. Szayel was the Octava Espada, but he knew that title meant nothing to Ichimaru Gin. Ichimaru answered only to Aizen-sama, and Aizen-sama answered only to himself.

Szayel brushed a strand of pink hair out of his eyes, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Perhaps if he ignored Ichimaru for long enough, the Shinigami would go away. He glanced at the monitor in front of him. What he saw was enough to make him peer closer.

'Whatcha looking at there, Szayel-san?' Ichimaru enquired, leaning forward.

Szayel frowned in annoyance, but answered anyway. 'Tousen-sama has returned with Grimmjow-san through the Garganta, Ichimaru-sama.'

'Nothin' out of the ordinary about that, surely?' Ichimaru's tone was deceptively casual. 'Ya knew they were coming back eventually, Szayel-san. Ulquiorra-san said that Ichigo kid wouldn't have any hope of taking down an Espada the way he is now. Surely there's nothing to interest ya in the two of them returning now?'

'Another reiatsu entered Hueco Mundo shortly after Tousen-sama and Grimmjow-san did,' Szayel replied, a little unwillingly. It was his nature as a scientist, he supposed. Information was valuable. The value of information was inversely proportional to the number of people that the information was available to.

'Mind if I take a look?' Without waiting for Szayel's permission, Ichimaru moved away from his wall, approaching the screen.

'This other reiatsu's real far away from Grimmjow-san and Tousen-san,' he commented. 'Could it be that ya have a faulty detection system, Szayel-san?'

Szayel bristled at that. 'There is nothing wrong with my detection system,' he responded, his voice icy. 'I'll bring up the video feed.'

He brushed a panel below the monitor with one gloved finger. The coloured blips on the monitor disappeared, to be replaced by an image of sand dunes.

Irritated, Szayel glared at the screen. _Fuck, _he thought. _Maybe the system _is_ faulty. _The grey sand of Hueco Mundo filled the screen, streams of it blowing away in the wind.

Down near the corner of the screen, a figure emerged, tiny and humanoid. It was mostly white, to the extent that Szayel had trouble picking it out against the backdrop of pale sand. Upon closer inspection, he saw what he thought was a black head of hair.

He touched the screen with his finger. 'There's the intruder,' he said coolly, resisting the urge to shoot a smug look at Ichimaru.

'That's interesting,' Ichimaru drawled. 'Whatcha think it might be, Szayel-san? It's the right size for a Vasto Lorde.'

Szayel shook his head, feeling superior. 'Of course not, Ichimaru-sama. The reiatsu isn't anywhere near strong enough. In terms of, say, a Shinigami's reiatsu, the intruder is - perhaps Fifth Seat strength, at the most. And the reiatsu is cloudy.'

'Fifth Seat strength ain't nothin' to be sneezed at,' Ichimaru replied. Szayel sensed something like condescension in his voice. At the same time he sensed a strong reiatsu behind the door, entering the room.

Ichimaru turned. 'Mornin', Aizen-sama,' he said, sounding cheerful.

Szayel rose from his chair, following Ichimaru's lead. 'Aizen-dono.' He bowed, feeling a little apprehensive nonetheless. Who wouldn't?

Aizen was the king of Hueco Mundo - no, he was _god _of Hueco Mundo. He had given all the Espada - including Szayel - their power, and he could take that power away any time he wished.

It was no secret that some of the Arrancar despised the necessity of obeying a Shinigami, but Szayel wasn't among them. He harboured a healthy respect for Lord Aizen. And wasn't it only rational for that respect to border on fear from time to time?

'Szayel-san here found something pretty interestin', Aizen-sama,' Ichimaru said, gesturing towards the screen.

'Oh?' Aizen raised an eyebrow. 'May I see, Szayel?'

Despite the politeness in his master's voice, Szayel knew that it wasn't a request. 'Of course, Aizen-dono,' he said, moving away from the monitor.

Aizen leant over the screen, the curl of hair hanging between his eyes. 'That _is_ interesting,' he murmured, peering at the figure.

Szayel watched his master's gaze, fixed on the indistinct shape of the person at the bottom of the screen. He remembered his own experiments, live dissections of Arrancar who'd been foolish enough to fall foul of the new ruler of Hueco Mundo. Their internal organs had received the same dispassionate stare from Szayel that was currently residing in Lord Aizen's eyes.

It was as if the screen was a microscope, and the intruder an insect on a slide.

'What were you going to do with it, Szayel?'

Szayel shrugged. 'My intentions were to send out my Fracción, Aizen-dono. Perhaps whatever it is will pose some interest as a research subject.'

Ichimaru chuckled at that.

Aizen ignored his subordinate's amusement. 'Please refrain from doing that, Szayel.' As always, his voice was light and courteous. 'I will send an Espada.'

'My, my,' Ichimaru interrupted. 'An Espada? It's only Fifth Seat strength, after all. Ain't that right, Szayel-san?'

Szayel scowled.

'I must go and attend to Grimmjow,' Aizen said, moving away from the monitor. 'Please continue to observe the intruder. Lieutenant Ichimaru will come with me.'

'Sure thing, Aizen-sama,' Ichimaru replied cheerily, leaving the room. 'I wouldn't wanna miss out on Grimmjow-san's reception.'

The door closed behind them, and Szayel was at last alone. He brushed his fingers over the panels in front of the monitor again, activating the zoom function.

The picture was grainy and a little out of focus, but still clear enough for Szayel to identify the subject.

'A human soul,' he murmured. And it was a female human at that. A smile curved across Szayel's lips. It was a pity Lord Aizen hadn't allowed him to collect her as a research subject.

Instead, some other Espada would deal with her. It would probably be Ulquiorra. Szayel sighed. Ulquiorra had all the fun.

It was rare that he grew jealous of any of the other Espada. After all, he was by far the superior intelligence of the ten. But nevertheless - this was a pity. Compared to Ulquiorra, the soul's reiatsu was feeble. Ulquiorra would kill her in a heartbeat, and then it would all be over.

It couldn't be helped. Szayel leaned back in his chair. At the very least, he had nothing better to do than watch.

* * *

Yep, Szayel is creepy and perverted and watches girls through cameras without them knowing about it. Search your feelings, you know it to be true.

I forgot to mention last chapter that he was going to be in this one. (Szayel's fangirls, please don't kill me.)

And please review, even if you are a Szayel fangirl.

Love Kelsey (who is a Grimmjow fangirl, when we're talking about the Espada. Grimmjow is awesome. You'd better believe it. The rest of the time I are belong to Aizen-sama.)


	8. Greetings from the Sexta Espada

Angina/Symphony

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Chapter 8

Greetings from the Sexta Espada

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_

Slip out the door and fly

_I'm lost in time, I hover_

_As an angel, I hover_

_Embracing all myself I reel_

_Through the storm that is shaking me_

_I don't know where, I don't know why_

_I know I'm not going to fall. _

**-My Wings, Lacuna Coil**

Rei's throat was dry, and her legs ached.

At first it had been a relief to reach Hueco Mundo - if that was what the desert was. The sand was fine and smooth, and dragged at her feet as she walked through it, but it was solid and _there_ and she didn't have to think it into being. Her mind could rest, and it had. Rei had lost track of time, walked for what felt like hours lost in thought.

It had only just occurred to her now that she was lost in more than thought. The temptation to lie down was overwhelming, but Rei told herself not to give in to it. She tried using the long-range sense of sorts she'd back in the blackness. Much to her astonishment, it worked, but when she tried to feel for what was ahead more than ten metres in front of her the awareness dwindled and faded.

'Shit,' she whispered, and was surprised at herself. Rei had never been one for swearing.

_That's because you don't talk to anyone besides your parents and Takagi, stupid, _she thought to herself, annoyed and weary. _And Takagi gets paid by your parents to talk to you. _

Technically, her parents paid Takagi to teach her advanced calculus and other things that other sixteen-year-olds wouldn't learn for at least another two years. She did about as much talking as Rei herself did, and she was thirty years older than Rei to boot.

Doubtless Takagi-sensei would say that leaving home to disappear into an otherworldly rift was a stupid thing to do. It probably was a stupid thing to do.

Rei rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand. _You have no practical skills, _she thought to herself. _You'll die out here. _

_No I won't! _herself replied back indignantly. _You sound like your mother! _

Rei was too tired to agree or disagree with her own internal exclamation. Defiance and idealism and dreaming of a better life were all well and good until you were lost in an endless grey desert with no food or water. Rei realised that now.

It seemed a very still place. Rei would have expected wind, sandstorms even in a desert, but this desert with its fine pale sand only ever touched her with light breezes, eddies of sand swirling around her ankles. She was quite sure the moon hadn't moved since she'd arrived here out of the blackness. It sailed high in the sky, surrounded by a starless washed-out black. Even the occasional skeleton of a tree that Rei came across was made out of something like quartz, smooth and polished and cool and completely unlike wood.

She could feel it lulling her to sleep, this colourless place -

Space shifted, a few metres in front of her. Rei started, her throat tightening and her heart pounding erratically inside her chest. She breathed in sharply, waiting for the pain to begin.

'Shit,' she murmured again. To her relief, her heart merely gave a few more light warning thumps, and was still.

Rei focused her gaze on the figure in front of her. She wasn't sure whether to be happy or relieved or afraid. The blue of his hair was a welcome distraction from the grey around her. She glanced cautiously at Grimmjow's eyes, and relaxed a little when she saw only boredom there. There was none of the restless energy that had been there during his fight with the Shinigami.

Grimmjow scowled, and it was then that Rei noticed his left arm - or lack thereof. She could still see blood staining the side of his white uniform.

_What happened to you? _she wanted to ask, but her throat had sealed itself shut.

He seemed to notice her staring. He disappeared, then reappeared again less than half a metre in front of her.

'Yeah, I'm missing an arm,' he snarled. 'What about it?'

Rei looked up at him silently. Grimmjow glared back at her, then let it go. 'Are you going to fight me or what?' he demanded.

Rei shook her head, feeling strangely unafraid now that her heart had calmed itself. 'No,' she answered. 'I'd lose.'

Grimmjow stared at her a little longer. 'Whatever,' he muttered, finally turning around. Rei stared at the hole in his lower back, fascinated. Next to it was a tattooed number, a six.

He glanced over his shoulder at her, scowling again. 'What the hell're you looking at, dumbass?'

'Why do you have that?' Rei asked, pointing at the hole.

Grimmjow just looked incredulous, as if wondering how anyone could possibly be so stupid. 'I'm an _Arrancar. _Of course I have a Hollow hole. Idiot.'

'I don't know what that is,' Rei told him.

'I didn't come here to answer your fuckin' questions!' Grimmjow's right hand tightened into a fist. 'Mister Supervisor-sama wants me to take you to Las Noches.' His voice acquired a heavily sarcastic tone.

'Is that Aizen?' Rei asked.

That made him turn around to face her again. 'How do you know Aizen?' His expression went from surprised to deeply suspicious.

'I don't.' Rei suddenly felt very small and ignorant, which was probably exactly the way Grimmjow wanted her to feel. She also found herself wishing fervently, for the umpteenth time, that she was wearing something other than an oversized white shirt. 'I saw your fight. With the Shinigami. And then that man came through the - split -' She gestured with her hands, trying to convey what she meant.

'The Garganta.' Grimmjow didn't look suspicious any more. In fact, Rei wasn't at all sure what the expression on his face was. Being in an apartment for most of her life with very little human contact meant that her skill at reading people was seriously impaired.

'And the two of you went back through it, and I followed you just before it closed. I heard that man saying something about someone called Aizen being angry with you.' Rei glanced at his arm, wanting to ask but not quite daring to.

Grimmjow reached forward, taking her wrist in a lightning motion. Rei gasped, thinking for a moment he was going to break her arm. But he just lifted it, pressing his thumb into the gap between the tendons on the inside of her wrist. Rei saw the suspicious look return, and felt as if her pulse were incriminating her somehow.

'If you went through the Garganta, and you're _human, _how the fuck do you still have a body?' Grimmjow dropped her wrist. 'I wondered why you didn't have a chain of fate. You're still alive.'

Rei nodded slowly. She wondered, almost in an abstract sense, whether that meant Grimmjow would kill her.

He let go of her wrist, making a dismissive noise. 'Oh well. It's not like I give a shit.' He stepped forward, and Rei moved backwards in alarm to no effect. He lifted her around the waist, throwing her over his shoulder.

'What are you doing?' she gasped.

'I'm taking you to Aizen. There's no way in hell I'm walking so that you can keep up with me.'

'You're going to do the teleporting thing, aren't you?'

'Teleporting? What's that shit? It's called Sonido, dumbass.' There was a sudden lurch, a sensation of motion that was too brief for Rei to grasp it fully, and then they were somewhere else, in a different patch of Hueco Mundo desert.

Rei felt nauseous, as if her insides had been scrambled.

'Please don't do it again,' she begged. 'I think I'm going to be sick.'

'If you wanna walk all the way to Las Noches, do it your fuckin' self. I'm not babysitting you.' Grimmjow tensed, his right arm tightening around Rei's waist, and she tried to brace herself.

Her efforts failed, through that Sonido, and the one after it, and the one after that.

'Put me down,' she pleaded after the eighth one.

Grimmjow made a noise in the back of his throat, but complied. He dumped Rei unceremoniously on the ground, and she struggled to a sitting position, crouching against the sand dune. She put her head between her knees, breathing deeply, and promptly threw up.

'Next time Yammy bitches about getting a shitty mission…' Grimmjow muttered to himself, before walking over and prodding her with a foot. 'Get up.'

Rei wiped her mouth, straightening the edge of her shirt. Grimmjow lifted her over his shoulder again.

To Rei's relief, there were only two more. Grimmjow dropped her, and she didn't even mind. She just sank to the floor, pressing her body against it. It felt cool and solid, marble perhaps.

Grimmjow hauled her to her feet, pulling her up by the back of her shirt. 'Welcome to Las Noches, dumbass.' He shoved her in the direction of a door. 'Prepare to meet Aizen-supervisor-sama.'

Rei gulped and nodded. She didn't know what else to do.

* * *

Grimmjow's such a friendly host. And Rei's about to meet Aizen, aka Sousuke…cue dramatic music.

I should really be doing my calculus homework instead of writing Bleach fanfiction. But calculus smells, and Bleach is awesome.


	9. His Infernal Majesty

I think these lyrics fit Aizen particularly well. Funnily enough, it isn't this song that makes me picture him, but Propane Nightmares by Pendulum. I actually have no idea why that is.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 9

His Infernal Majesty

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He feeds on fear, poisons the truth

_To gain their faith, to lead the way_

_To a world of decay_

_(He rules your heart.)_

_He'll sell your soul to the grave_

_Without a hesitation to make_

_You'll be lost to the dark. _

**-Deceiver of Fools, Within Temptation**

The doors ground open in front of her.

For the first time since her narrow escape inside the Garganta, Rei was afraid. No, this was worse than fear. Her terror of drowning within the darkness made of dream-stuff had at least been rational, explainable.

Here and now, she had no idea what lay in front of her. It was a disturbing experience, particularly for someone who for sixteen years had known and foreseen everything about her life, right down to the smallest details.

Rei felt nauseous again, and forced herself to breathe deeply. She made herself take a step forward, then another step. The floor was cold underneath her bare feet.

Rei remembered Grimmjow's single arm, the blood spotting his uniform on the other side. She remembered what the man Tousen had said, right before walking into the void.

_Aizen-sama is furious. _

It didn't take much to work out that this Aizen was the one responsible for Grimmjow's injury. All Grimmjow had done was to leave this world without permission. What would his superior do to Rei, who'd _intruded? _

Rei stopped that train of thought where it was, and stared fixedly at her toes. It was the only way she could summon up enough courage to continue moving. Even so, she felt horribly self-conscious. She could feel the sand on her skin, knew that her hair needed a wash. The inside of her mouth felt furry. Even her feet were leaving traces of gritty sand behind them on the smoothness of the floor.

Rei ran her fingers through her hair nervously. The room was bigger than she'd expected. The lighting had been relatively dim where she'd entered, but now her surroundings were brighter. She felt more exposed.

'Huh.' The voice came from ahead of her. Curiosity overcame Rei, and she tore her gaze away from her feet.

The owner of the voice was a man with silver hair, dressed in long white robes similar to Grimmjow's. 'Ya don't look like you'd be able ta make it through the Garganta on yer own. Yer a human, ain'tcha?'

His voice was light, curious even. Rei studied him. She couldn't make out his eyes. She wasn't sure if his eyes were shut entirely, or if he was squinting. His mouth was curved upwards in a grin.

'Yes.' Her voice came out in a croak, and she coughed. 'I'm human.'

'And no chain of fate, neither. Meaning yer alive, and still in yer body. That's most interesting. Don'tcha agree, Aizen-sama?' The silver-haired man turned to his left.

Rei's eyes moved to the figure in the throne. When she recognised him her throat sealed itself shut again, and her heart fluttered in warning again. No, fluttering was too light a word for it - the motion in her chest was just a little too violent to be a flutter.

The rational side of her reasoned that she could be mistaken, no, _surely _she was mistaken. But her memory, the photographer behind her eyes, placed the curl of hair hanging in his face and the shape of his eyes and mouth and put them together into a solved puzzle that Rei could hardly fail to recognise.

_Sousuke, _her mind thought on reflex. To her shame, Rei felt warmth spreading across her face. She looked down hurriedly.

'Do I frighten you? I apologise if I do.' The sound of his voice dispelled any nagging doubts Rei might have had as to his identity. It had that same smooth, almost seductive undertone to it. Or perhaps that inflection was due to her clearly overactive imagination.

Rei told herself, rather forcefully, that that was the case. She raised her head, making herself look at him. She could see in his face that he recognised her, and she looked at him questioningly. He made a slight motion with his head, a _no._

'You need not feel uncomfortable. I mean you no harm.' His voice was warm, welcoming almost. 'I merely sent Grimmjow to find you because I was curious, as Ichimaru said, about how you arrived here in Hueco Mundo.'

Rei explained how she had come to be near the Garganta when Tousen had opened it, and how she had made her way from there into Hueco Mundo. She stammered more than a few times during her explanation. Ichimaru's face didn't change its expression in the slightest. His lips remained in that grin. As she spoke Sousuke - _Aizen, _she corrected herself - leaned forward in his throne, resting his chin on his hand.

When Rei had finished, she could see the interest in his face. That made her blush again. _Stop it, _she thought fiercely.

'And have you been able to use your ability outside of the Garganta?' he asked.

'In a way. It was harder to do.' Rei told them how she had sensed the location of Hueco Mundo from inside the Garganta, and how she had tried to use the same ability in Hueco Mundo itself but hadn't had the same range.

She touched her fingers lightly to the side of her head when she'd finished speaking. She felt more than a little faint, and hoped fervently that she wouldn't collapse in front of him.

Sousuke's - Aizen's - face took on the same look of concern it had when he'd found her in the rain. 'I am sorry. You must be tired, Miss - ?'

Rei was confused for a moment, then remembered that she wasn't supposed to have met him before. 'Amane Rei,' she replied.

Aizen rose from his throne, walking down the short flight of stairs towards her. That only served to make Rei feel more lightheaded. He took her arm, just as he had before.

'Is it your wish to stay here in Hueco Mundo, in Las Noches?' His voice was kind, and Rei had to make herself remember Grimmjow's missing arm. That trick wouldn't work for long, she knew. It was too hard to reconcile the image in her mind with the man in front of her. 'I can arrange your return to the human world if necessary.'

'No,' she replied, looking up at him in a combination of bravery and stupidity. 'I made a decision to come here.'

'Surely you must have a family? People who will miss you?' He let the question trail off into the air.

Rei realised, with a great deal of surprise, that she knew exactly what he was trying to do.

It was astonishing, really. She'd spent most of her life in isolation. She'd even admitted to herself, countless times, that she had no idea how to read people. And yet she knew, this time, that Sousuke knew perfectly well she had no desire to return to her dreary little life. He'd planted the question there to remind her just how much she didn't want to return.

'You don't need to decide right now,' he said, his eyes gentle. 'Take all the time you want.'

With her new strange conviction, Rei knew that Aizen wanted her to stay here for whatever unknown reasons of his own. He wanted her to remain here for good, and he had to know that the decision to stay had to be hers.

Rei could sense that agreeing to stay could very well be dangerous for her. She had no idea what motives Aizen might have for her presence here. She knew that there could quite probably be a trap. She didn't want to believe that Aizen would do anything bad to her. It was hard to believe, in all honesty, but the possibility was there.

And now she was faced with another decision. Or was it really? Essentially, it was the same decision she'd made when faced with the Garganta. Aizen wasn't just a kind stranger any more.

He was an unknown, and Rei could choose to walk into that unknown, knowing that he had some reason for keeping her here that he wasn't letting on. Alternatively, she could choose to return to her life, her anime DVDs and her cups of tea on her couch and calculus and physics with Takagi, day after day.

When it came down to the bare bones of it, Rei knew there was no decision. Not really.

'Thank you, Lord Aizen, but I don't need any time to think. I would be happy to accept an offer to stay.' Rei paused. 'I didn't leave anything - or anyone - behind in the human world.'

'As long as that's what you want,' he replied. 'I will find you a room. If you would come with me, Amane-chan.'

Aizen led her out of the throne room. He waited until the doors had closed behind them to speak.

'Please don't think I had forgotten you. I would prefer it if my subordinates didn't know I sometimes choose to appear in the human world.'

'I understand,' Rei said, trying to keep herself cool and collected. It was difficult to do. The touch of his arm on her own was a constant distraction, as was his scent. Rei breathed in. She couldn't quite place it. It was something light and warm, like his voice.

'I suppose I should call you Aizen-sama, if I'm going to stay here,' she continued.

'You can call me that if you wish. Or Sousuke-san is fine. Do you object to me calling you Amane-chan?'

Rei shook her head. Aizen led her through several corridors, finally waving his hand in front of a door. It slowly turned open. Sousuke let go of her arm, which made Rei feel oddly abandoned.

'Goodnight, Amane-chan. There is water if you wish to bathe.' He turned and left.

'Thank you, Aizen-sama,' Rei replied, going inside.

Once she'd shut the door behind her she looked around. There was a wide white bed, a mirror at the far end of the room, and a smaller door. Rei opened it and found an ensuite bathroom. She turned the taps on, letting the water run very hot. Pulling the shirt over her head, Rei stepped into the bath, casting the dirty garment aside.

The steam and hot water cleared her thoughts, helping her think. It was obvious to Rei that she was going to have to manage herself carefully around Aizen. If that was even possible.

She sighed, breathing in deeply, trying to recall the smell of him, his voice. Then she stopped. It was difficult enough to think clearly around him as it was. She didn't need to make things harder for herself.

_He cut off his own subordinate's arm, _Rei told herself, repeating it like a mantra. There was no guarantee Aizen wouldn't get tired of her presence and do the same.

Somehow, part of her was willing to take that risk.

* * *

Poor Rei. She's doing a lot better than I would have in her situation. I lose a bit of rational thought myself when I hear Aizen-sama's voice. He has a very nice voice. Although nice is the understatement of the century. I'm not sure how long she'll hold out.

Anyone willing to take bets?


	10. Behind Closed Doors

Scratch that. The whole album 'In Sorte Diaboli' by Dimmu Borgir reminds me of Aizen. Allow me to explain…

It's a concept album. It's based around the story of a priest, who abandons his religious order and subsequently becomes the Antichrist. I wonder if I'm the only person who's seen the Aizen Sousuke parallels here.

Hence, all the chapters from Aizen's point of view may contain an increased concentration of Dimmu Borgir lyrics from now on. Just saying it so no one thinks I'm boring or repetitive.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 10

Behind Closed Doors

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My descent is the story of every man

_I am hatred, darkness, and despair. _

…

_Their ferocity pervades everywhere_

_Waiting to be released at last_

_Hear my offering_

_Ye bastard sons and daughters. _

**-The Serpentine Offering, Dimmu Borgir**

Aizen felt Gin's questioning gaze on him, hidden beneath his eyelids and the ever-present grin on his subordinate's face.

'Well, Aizen-sama?'

Aizen leaned back in his throne in response, feeling his own mouth begin to curve upwards in a smile. 'You sensed her reiatsu, did you not?'

Gin nodded. 'Szayel-san was right. I reckon she's round about Fifth Seat level.'

'Correct,' Aizen answered, folding his hands in his lap. 'In her current state, in her human body, the girl's reiatsu is similar in strength to that of a Fifth Seat.' He paused after that, waiting for Gin to fill in the blanks.

His subordinate didn't disappoint. 'Why, whatever do ya mean by that, Aizen-sama?' The inflection in Gin's voice indicated that he was oblivious, but Aizen knew better. 'Sounds to me like ya think she's gonna get stronger.'

'She will.' _She has, _Aizen thought to himself.

It had taken him a moment to recognise the girl from the human world. Once he'd figured out where he'd seen her before, Aizen had been intrigued. He hadn't detected any reiatsu at all coming from her that day in the rain.

And yet somehow, seemingly overnight, she'd developed the spiritual strength of a mid-seated Shinigami officer. Not only that, but she'd traversed the Garganta in her body. Travel through the Garganta by shaping the turbulence of spiritual particles was a difficult feat even for a strong Shinigami. Kaname in particular had had trouble mastering it when he, Aizen and Gin had first come to Hueco Mundo. Kaname, who was captain-level.

And yet Amane Rei, a seemingly ordinary human girl, had done it on her own, crippled with a body.

It took a certain type of mind to manipulate spiritual particles. It was similar to Kidou, in a way. Some Shinigami had a natural aptitude for it, like his former lieutenant Hinamori. Others - the most obvious example to spring to mind was that oaf Zaraki Kenpachi - couldn't perform the simplest of spells, and would never be able to.

What interested Aizen most about the girl was the fact that she'd come to Hueco Mundo in the first place. His Zanpakutou's powers were merely an extension of his true gift - the ability to see the depths of a person's personality, the little intricacies and idiosyncrasies that made them who they were. Aizen could manipulate people with ease. In truth, it was rare that he actually needed to resort to Kyouka Suigetsu to get his way.

But this girl - Aizen had to admit that Amane Rei remained unknown to him, at least in part. She had abandoned her world, her race, her life. She had thrown everything aside to come here to his realm, seemingly on a whim, although Aizen very much doubted that was the case.

Amane Rei was clever, he knew that much for certain. Aizen could see it in the way she looked away from him, never quite meeting his eyes. She was clearly attracted to him, like Hinamori had been, but there was none of Hinamori's blind trust and naiveté in her. Instead, Aizen sensed a wariness, not mistrust exactly but more an innate caution of everything and everyone.

'She is here to stay of her own free will.' Aizen glanced at Gin. 'In any case, she interests me.'

Gin chuckled at that. 'Is that so?'

Aizen caught the suggestive inflection in his lieutenant's voice, and chose to ignore it. 'She obviously has some latent power, and she may prove to be useful. For the time being, she will remain in Las Noches.'

'Can't see the Espada bein' too happy 'bout that, except maybe for Szayel-san.' Gin paused. 'But then again, Hueco Mundo ain't no democracy.'

'Indeed not,' Aizen replied, amused.

'What if she disappoints yer, Aizen-sama?' his lieutenant continued. 'She is only a human, after all.'

'I'm sure Szayel can be persuaded to take her as a research subject if she does,' Aizen replied.

In truth, he didn't think Amane Rei was likely to be disappointing. Aizen wondered what the cause of her relatively rapid increase in spiritual power was. Contact with Kurosaki Ichigo, or someone like him, could have done it.

Could Aizen's own reiatsu have done it, when he'd touched her arm? No, he'd been in a Gigai at the time, and the Gigai was supposed to block his reiatsu to prevent things like this from occurring.

In some ways she reminded him of Hinamori. Had she been a Shinigami, Aizen was sure that she would have been a proficient user of Kidou. Amane even resembled his former lieutenant physically in part - she had the dark hair and pale skin, the slight build. But that was where the resemblance ended. Amane's eyes hadn't changed - they were still the same silver-grey wolf's eyes that Aizen had noticed in the physical world, looking out of a face that was fragile and older than her years in a way Hinamori's had never been. Where Hinamori's eyes had been filled with adoring admiration whenever she'd looked at her captain, Amane's were sharp and bright and intelligent and wary. At the same time, Aizen had detected a trace of something awry in them - recklessness perhaps? It was too early for him to be sure.

For whatever reason, Amane Rei had walked away from everything that was familiar to her, something Aizen very much doubted Hinamori would ever be capable of doing. Amane Rei was an expatriate, like himself.

Gin let out an exaggerated yawn, even though both of them knew perfectly well that he didn't need sleep. 'Well, I'm goin' off to bed now, Aizen-sama, if ya don't have anything more to say.'

Aizen nodded his assent, and Gin left the throne room.

_Tomorrow should be interesting, _he thought, although day and night were just words with no real meaning in Hueco Mundo. He had ordered his Octava Espada to have things ready for the separation in the morning.

Hopefully Amane Rei wouldn't prove a disappointment. It would be terribly rude of Aizen to abandon her to Szayel's less-than-tender mercies so soon after her arrival. Nevertheless, that was what he would do with Amane Rei if her abilities could be of no use to him.

It was only logical to dispose of useless things. Otherwise they merely took up unnecessary space.

* * *

Aizen being No More Mister Nice Guy, as he does. And more Szayel in the next chapter. (I gave you fair warning this time.)


	11. Delusions of Grandeur

This has, thus far, been a good Monday. One, I found out that I successfully pwned my chemistry exam. Two, I have ten reviews! Thank you so much, everyone! Three, it has stopped being quite so cold down here in Canberra. Four, I am due to start work this week, and five, I have candy.

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Angina/Symphony

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Chapter 11

Delusions of Grandeur

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Look, here she comes now

_Bow down and stare in wonder_

_Oh, how we love you_

_No flaws when you're pretending. _

**-Everybody's Fool, Evanescence**

Rei stirred, opening her eyes to the shaft of light illuminating her room.

Someone was standing in the doorway. The brightness let in by the open door behind the person meant that all she could make out was a silhouette.

Rei stretched, slowly levering herself into a sitting position. She wrapped a sheet around her body - although she'd slept in her shirt, she was more than a little embarrassed to be seen so early in the morning by a complete stranger. Rubbing her eyes, she remembered where she was, and felt warmth flood her face. Praying that her morning visitor wasn't Aizen, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood up, the sheet dragging on the floor.

The silhouette at the door stepped forwards, pushing the door shut. Rei quickly realised it was another Arrancar, like Grimmjow. Although this man's white robes were long and flowing and covered his entire body, there was one of those circular holes just below his throat. He had black hair like her own, and he was even more pallid than she was. Like Grimmjow, he had a skull fragment attached to his head, albeit in a different location - his covered part of his forehead on the left, extending down further over the back.

Rei gazed at the markings on his face - what looked like unbroken tear trails, teal-green like his eyes. Somehow, this Arrancar looked less like a human than Grimmjow had. Maybe it was his pupils - they weren't circular, but formed a black slit in the centre of the green iris like a cat's. Or maybe it was the utter lack of expression on his face.

'I am Ulquiorra Schiffer, the Cuatra Espada.' He spoke in a monotone. 'I am to take you to Lord Aizen once you have made yourself presentable.' Rei noticed for the first time the white bundle he was carrying. He passed it to her, and she took it awkwardly, not wanting to let the sheet fall down.

'Aizen-sama requested that I find you something to wear. I will be waiting outside to take you to Aizen-sama when you are ready.'

Rei nodded. 'Thank you, Schiffer-san,' she murmured as he left, opening the door and closing it behind him again.

Dropping the sheet and letting it fall back onto her bed, she undressed, feeling a little shy and awkward knowing that Ulquiorra was outside her room waiting. Rei wondered why this strange Arrancar had been sent to bring her clothes and not Grimmjow, when he had been the one to retrieve her from the desert at Aizen's request. She would have felt more comfortable with Grimmjow's impatience and insults, which she'd at least had some experience with. This strange quiet Arrancar, who didn't blink and was impossible to fathom, made Rei feel every inch the clumsy shut-in teenager that she was.

Lifting the white bundle of fabric, which turned out to be a dress and other things, she shook it out and stepped into it. The skirt was a hoop skirt, wide and white and down to her knees. Before that there was a pair of what looked like black stockings.

Rei carefully put everything on. The outfit didn't seem like it belonged to her. It felt like it was made for someone much more special than she was, a princess perhaps. But then she wasn't the person she'd once been any more. She'd chosen to leave her clumsy shut-in teenager self behind. Rei could be whoever she wanted to be.

Anyway, princesses weren't particularly special. They were only princesses because they were born that way.

She brushed her hair out with her fingers, feeling pleased that washing it the night before seemed to have made it much more soft and smooth. Rei's hair had always been long and thick, down to her waist. She had never had any desire to cut it short, like many of the girls she'd seen from her window did. It fell across her shoulders, and she wished for a moment that there was a mirror somewhere in her room.

The wish surprised her. Rei had never particularly cared about her appearance. After all, who was there to see her except for her parents and Takagi? She traced the uncharacteristic vanity back to its source, and encountered thoughts of Aizen. _No, _she thought firmly. _He's off limits, even in your head. And he wouldn't look twice at you anyway. _

Rei left her room, and Ulquiorra looked down at her feet. 'You forgot the shoes,' he commented in that same monotone. Rei reddened, went back into her room and slipped on the white shoes, and then they left. Ulquiorra led her through the corridors of Las Noches in silence.

_Does he dislike me, or is he like this with everyone? _she wondered. Perhaps it was because she was a human. That had seemed to come as a surprise to Aizen and Ichimaru the day before.

That led her to another question. If Aizen and Ichimaru found the fact that she was alive, human and in Hueco Mundo unusual, then - what were they?

Rei was saved from that disturbing thought by the opening of the doors to the throne room.

As she followed in Ulquiorra's stead, she glimpsed the brightly lit end of the room, and Rei had to fight the urge to stare at her feet again. Whatever ulterior motive he had for doing so, Aizen had given her a place to stay. She was here as his guest, and she could at least do him the courtesy of looking him in the eye.

When they drew close to the throne itself, Rei looked up, and he was there. The curl of hair hung between his eyes still, falling just to the left of his nose. He smiled as he saw her.

'That dress suits you, Amane-chan. Did you sleep well?'

'Yes, thank you, Aizen-sama,' Rei replied, managing to avoid stammering. Fortunately she'd managed to put a clamp on her mind before it had started to wax lyrical on Aizen's appearance.

'I would like you to meet my most loyal subordinates,' he said. 'Of course, you have already met my lieutenant, Ichimaru Gin.' He gestured towards Ichimaru, who was standing to his right. The silver-haired man was still grinning. Rei wondered if he ever relaxed his face.

'Mornin', Amane-chan.' Ichimaru waved, then paused expectantly. Hesitantly, Rei waved back.

'And this is Tousen Kaname.' Aizen turned towards the dark-skinned man to his left. Tousen inclined his head briefly. 'I imagine you recognise him from the physical world.'

'Yes, although I saw Tousen-san at a distance,' Rei replied, moving into a short bow. It seemed like the right thing to do.

'I would also like to introduce you to my Espada. They are the ten strongest Arrancar in Hueco Mundo, and command lesser Arrancar on missions to the physical world when necessary.' Aizen straightened in his seat. 'Please enter.'

Rei wondered for a moment who he was talking to. Her question was answered when the doors she'd come in through opened again, and footsteps approached behind her.

As they stood in front of Aizen's throne, at the base of the stairs, Rei counted only nine. Then she remembered that Ulquiorra had mentioned that he was an Espada, the Cuatra Espada.

She saw Grimmjow, with his blue hair and painfully conspicuous missing arm. He caught her gaze and scowled back, as if to ask what the hell she thought she was looking at. He wasn't the only Espada with unusually coloured hair, Rei noticed - there was a man with pink hair and glasses two places away from him. The pink-haired Espada saw her looking at him and smiled, but not in a friendly way. There was something insidious about his smile, something for which Rei had no name, something which made her skin crawl wherever it touched.

'Have none of ya got any manners?' Ichimaru's tone was amused as well as slightly mocking. 'Introduce yerselves to Aizen-sama's guest. Can't have her thinking yer rude.'

One of the Espada stepped forward, a serious-looking man with dark hair and ice-blue eyes, a young girl with him at his side. She was wearing white just as the man was. Her uniform looked at odds with her pale green hair and rose-coloured eyes. She wrinkled her nose at Rei, but didn't say anything.

'We are Coyote Starrk and Lilinette Gingerback,' the man said gravely. 'The Primera Espada.'

The man next to him was much older, at least eighty Rei would have guessed. He stepped forward, and the scarred skin over his right eye moved as he spoke. 'Barragan Luisenbarn. The Segunda Espada.'

The next to introduce herself was a blonde woman. Her outfit revealed her midriff, but covered the lower half of her face. She was tall and muscular, and Rei felt invisible again next to her. 'Tia Harribel. The Tres Espada.'

'Nnoitra Jiruga, Fifth Espada,' said the next in line. He had a sneer on his face, and was tall and thin with long black hair. The huge weapon he carried, an executioner's figure of eight, wasn't half as intimidating to Rei as the arrogance in his voice, the public assurance that he was superior to her and wouldn't hesitate to demonstrate it if Aizen wasn't in the room.

'Grimmjow Jaggerjack, Sexta Espada.' Grimmjow didn't bother to step forward. He had that look of boredom pasted on his face again. Rei could almost read the _I really don't give a shit _in his thoughts, and suppressed a giggle.

The next four in line introduced themselves, including the pink-haired man, who Rei learnt was called Szayel Aporro Granz. Even when he wasn't smiling that double-entendre smile at her, his eyes stayed on her in a way that made Rei feel uncomfortable. The others either side of him were a heavily built, dark-skinned man, a tall thin masked figure with a peculiar, almost robotic voice, and a muscular giant with an oddly ridged skull. They had the colourful names of Zommari Leroux, Aaroniero Arruruierie, and Yammy Riyulga respectively.

Aizen rose from his throne, and Rei's attention shifted back to him. 'And of course you have already met my Cuatra Espada, Ulquiorra.' He smiled, and gradually his face turned serious. 'Amane-chan, you must know by now that the fact that you are still in your body makes you very unusual in Hueco Mundo. Everyone you see in front of you - myself, Ichimaru, Tousen, my Espada - is a spiritual entity.'

'There's no way we could use our abilities in bodies, ya see,' Ichimaru interrupted. 'And ya got a lot of potential, Amane-chan. Crossin' the Garganta by yerself ain't easy, and ya managed it.' The width of his grin increased.

'Ichimaru is correct.' Aizen cut in again, his voice changing from polite to sympathetic with his next sentence. 'I'm afraid the only way for you to fully realise your potential, for me to understand your abilities - is for you to leave your body and exist here as a spiritual entity.'

* * *

Don't worry, I know how much people hate cliffhangers, so I wrote another chapter straight after this one.


	12. Mitosis

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 12

Mitosis

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* * *

_

Why was I one of the chosen ones?

_Until the fight I could not see_

_The magic and the strength_

_Of my power_

_It was beyond my wildest dreams. _

**-Dark Wings, Within Temptation**

Grimmjow had known this was coming.

The Lord of Hueco Mundo wasn't a nice guy. No one ever got something for nothing from Aizen-sama, and this woman was no exception. If she abandoned her body, she would exist separately as a soul. She wouldn't be able to return to the human world. Well, she _could, _but none of the other humans would be able to see her, and she'd probably be devoured by some minor Hollow. Her reiatsu was stronger than that of an ordinary human - usually humans _had _no detectable reiatsu. There were only three exceptions Grimmjow knew of - Kurosaki Ichigo and those two human friends of his, the big guy and the red-headed girl. A Hollow would smell this woman's reiatsu and then it would be over for her.

The only way she would remain safe was if she stayed in Hueco Mundo under Aizen's protection, and Grimmjow knew how much chance there was of _that _happening. No one could really understand how Aizen's mind worked, but the Sexta Espada knew enough about his master and creator to know that if Amane Rei didn't turn out to have some sort of ability which would make her useful to Aizen, she didn't have a snowball's chance in hell.

Aizen would lose interest in his 'guest', and the woman would be left to sink or swim on her own.

Grimmjow didn't particularly care. But he had seen it coming, and he had a fair idea of why Amane Rei hadn't.

Sure, _he _knew Aizen definitely wasn't a nice guy, as did everyone in Hueco Mundo. But Amane Rei didn't know that, and Aizen could play the part of a knight in shining armour when it suited him. Aizen had her hook, line and sinker. Grimmjow could tell that much just by looking at her.

'Leave my body?'

She was looking up at Aizen. Her face was expressionless, at least as far as Grimmjow could tell. 'Do you mean I have to die?'

'Of course not, Amane-chan.' Grimmjow couldn't see Aizen's face, but he knew exactly how his master's face looked right now - reassuring, and at the same time a little offended at the very idea that he would condone such a thing. 'I would never hurt you. The separation of body and soul is just that - a separation. Szayel would even keep your body in storage, in case you change your mind at some point and wish to return to the physical world.'

Szayel smiled at that, and Grimmjow felt disgusted. _Sick fuck, _he thought.

'As a soul, would I - ever get sick?' The woman's face had emotion in it now, an emotion Grimmjow struggled to place. He realised after a moment that it was hope, of all things. 'Would my soul's anatomy reflect that of my body?'

'Szayel, would you care to explain to Amane-chan?' Aizen's voice was back to politeness again.

'No, it would not. Outwardly, you would look the same. But any physical impairments or weaknesses that your body has would not apply to your soul. If that were the case, an intact soul after death would be extremely rare. The only difference between the two states of existence is that humans in the physical world would not be able to see or sense you.' Szayel pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, looking pleased with himself.

The woman's eyes were glittering now. _She's crying, _Grimmjow realised with a mixture of surprise and scorn. _She's actually fucking crying. She must have finally realised that he'll throw her away as soon as she's a soul and he realises she can't do shit. _

Strangely, she was smiling, a grin on her face even wider than Ichimaru's. 'I'll do it,' she said. 'Do it now. I mean - please separate me from my body, Aizen-sama.'

Grimmjow stared at her, dumbstruck. _Is she fuckin' stupid, or what? _He realised he'd said it aloud, albeit under his breath.

Despite his repeated use of the word _dumbass _when he'd been sent to retrieve her, Grimmjow had been able to pick up that this woman was anything but stupid. When she'd asked him questions, her eyes had been alive with curiosity, excitement even. She was naïve, that much was certain, but not stupid. Grimmjow would have expected that she'd be able to figure out that blindly trusting Aizen, a complete stranger, was a dumb thing to do.

At the very least it should have been obvious to her that her body wasn't going to stay quietly in storage once Mister Octava Espada over there got his hands on it.

'Szayel can carry out the separation now, if you wish, Amane-chan.' Aizen's voice was as courteous as ever, but Grimmjow thought he heard a hint of surprise in his master's words.

The woman nodded vigorously. 'Yes.'

The eighth Espada took his cue and moved towards Amane, pulling something out of his pocket as he did. Grimmjow saw the smirk on the pink-haired Arrancar's face and glared.

'Would you care to hold Amane-chan in place for me, Ulquiorra-san?' he asked. He was pulling the dark thing onto his hand. It looked like a glove. 'If she falls, she'll crack her head open. I don't want her body damaged.'

_I bet you don't, _Grimmjow thought to himself. _Asshole. _

Wordless as usual, Ulquiorra stepped forward, taking the woman by the shoulders. She looked surprised at that. 'Schiffer-san -' she started.

'Hold still,' Szayel instructed.

'Wait,' she said, and Grimmjow saw that she was looking up at Aizen. 'Will it hurt?'

'I said I would never hurt you, Amane-chan.' Aizen's voice was gently reproving. Grimmjow had to hold back the _Yeah, right _on his tongue. 'You won't feel anything. Trust me.'

The woman nodded at that, and closed her eyes. The look of hope, of _happiness, _on her face irritated Grimmjow. Hope and happiness were just synonyms for stupidity.

Szayel reached out the fingers of his gloved hand, pressing them to Amane's forehead and moving them down the bridge of her nose. The smirk disappeared, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

He began to walk backwards, and Grimmjow watched as a second Amane folded out of the first one's body. The shape in Ulquiorra's arms - because it was just that, a shape, flesh and bones and organs without any driving intelligence behind them - sagged limply. The eyelids lifted slightly, and even from Grimmjow's vantage point the whites of the eyes were visible.

Her reiatsu remained cloudy and indistinct. _She's fucked, _thought Grimmjow. Maybe she had seen it coming, that leaving her body would be sealing her own doom. Maybe getting fucked over by complete strangers was something she liked to do for fun.

In that case, Amane Rei was a crazy bitch, something Grimmjow could relate to in part.

The second Amane - the soul - rubbed its eyes, slowly opening them. It was then that her reiatsu flickered, sharpened and expanded.

Everyone knew that a strong enough reiatsu could injure or even kill anyone with a weaker reiatsu who happened to be standing nearby. Probably the most famous case of it, among the Espada at least, was their Primera. Coyote Starrk and Lilinette had killed thousands of lesser Hollows just by being in close proximity with them. There wasn't enough of a gap in strength between those two and the other Espada for their reiatsu to have that effect in Las Noches.

This, however, was sudden and unexpected and none of the Espada had braced themselves for it.

Reiatsu exploded. Szayel caught the brunt of the blast, but Grimmjow still had to shield his face with an arm. It wasn't anywhere near strong enough to do anything mortally wounding to him, but it stung like hell. Next to him Nnoitra was doing the same, looking pissed off and surprised in equal measure.

As soon as it had begun the explosion stopped, with Amane looking stunned. 'Did I…do that?' she asked.

The throne room was silent, almost as if no one dared say anything in case they triggered another flare of reiatsu.

'Of course you did, stupid bitch!'

The scream belonged to Szayel. When Grimmjow saw the Octava Espada's face, he burst out laughing. He couldn't help himself. Szayel's pink hair was in disarray, his glasses askew.

He glared at Grimmjow from under partially disintegrated eyebrows. Grimmjow didn't even bother trying to keep a straight face. 'How long do you think it'll take them to grow back, asshole?'

'Shut up!' the Octava shrieked, enraged.

'Please calm yourself, Szayel.'

Even Grimmjow fell silent at that.

Aizen was walking down the steps from his throne, steady and completely unfazed. Grimmjow caught a glimpse of his master's face. _Not a hair out of place, _he thought. _Typical. _

'Are you all right, Amane-chan?' he asked, his voice full of concern.

The woman nodded, still looking a little shaken. 'I'm fine, thank you, Aizen-sama.' She turned to Szayel. 'I'm very sorry, Szayel-san. I didn't know that was going to happen.'

Szayel pushed his glasses back onto his face, scowling and silent.

'I'm sure no apologies are necessary,' Aizen cut in, his voice as smooth as ever. 'Your reiatsu seems to be remaining more stable now.'

'My - reiatsu?'

'Your spiritual energy.' It did seem to be remaining fairly constant in strength. Strangely, it wasn't much stronger than it had been while she was in her body, although the cloudiness was gone.

_What was with the explosion, then?_ Grimmjow wondered. _It was Shinigami captain level, or higher. And now it's dropped back down. _

'How do you feel?' Aizen had his hand on Amane's shoulder. He seemed to have taken over from Ulquiorra.

She blinked. 'A little dizzy. And…' Her pale face darkened in colour, just a little. 'I'm hungry.'

'Please don't be embarrassed. You lost a vast amount of spiritual energy. Even as a soul, you need to eat to replace it. If you would take her to her room, Ulquiorra, and bring her something to eat?'

Ulquiorra nodded, silent and obedient as always, and led the woman out of the room.

'I suppose I should dismiss these guys, then, Aizen-sama?' Ichimaru asked, his tone questioning.

'That will not be necessary yet, Ichimaru. I wish to discuss something with the Espada first.' Aizen returned to his throne, looking down at all of them. Grimmjow saw his features slip out of the Mister Nice Guy set. All of a sudden Aizen looked very much the cold-hearted puppetmaster who cared for nothing and no one except himself.

'As you are all aware, Miss Amane is my guest. She arrived here of her own free will. She is not a prisoner. She is to be treated with respect, the same respect you would show me.' He paused. 'If anyone thinks they will find that difficult, then I request that they stay away from Miss Amane.'

The room was filled with thick, heavy, almost tangible silence. 'I brought everyone into this room so that they could witness Miss Amane's abilities,' Aizen continued. 'She did not disappoint my expectations. What you just saw - and felt,' he said, looking at Szayel, 'was a fraction of what she is capable of, when raw and untrained. A _fraction. _If anyone treats Miss Amane with anything other than respect, or says or does anything to her that they wouldn't want to do in my presence, then they will experience the full weight of what _I _can do.' Aizen stopped, looking around at the Espada. 'Are there any questions?'

Grimmjow scowled. He knew exactly what Aizen's little canned speech was about, and it was more than just treating his 'guest' with 'respect.' If any of the Espada let on to Amane Rei that Aizen's intentions for her were anything except completely pure, that he was anything other than the nice guy he was currently pretending to be, then they would experience the wrath of the Lord of Hueco Mundo.

Grimmjow had never seen Aizen angry. It wasn't something that even he was keen to witness.

'No, Aizen-sama,' the Espada murmured in unison.

'Thank you all for your patience. You are dismissed.' Aizen waved his hand, and the Espada left the throne room, some of them using Sonido. Others, like Grimmjow, chose to walk.

That woman wouldn't last five minutes in Las Noches. She was too soft, too naïve, too _innocent. _Her cleverness and curiosity wouldn't be worth anything if she didn't learn to stop being so damn trusting.

Not that Grimmjow cared.

_Crazy bitch, _he thought to himself. _Aizen's going to turn you inside out and bleed you dry. _

One thing was for sure. Amane Rei would spend the rest of her life in Las Noches. She wasn't going to leave it alive.

* * *

LOL Szayel with missing eyebrows. That is all.

Some randomness from my life: my brother started ragging on The Lion King and I swear to God I nearly did a Grimmjow and punched the **** out of him. You don't mess with the Lion King. Mufasa for the fucking win.

Anyway…

Massive thank yous to anyone who's read/reviewed/favourited/alerted thus far. Starting a new story is always mildly terrifying. I always think it'll get completely ignored and no one will read it. Also, I know Grimmjow gets kicked out of the Espada. He will get kicked out and replaced with Luppi eventually. It's a plot twist, so I can't really tell you any more than that.

If I don't go to bed now this will be my third night in a row of staying up until past midnight. So I'm going to go get some sleep, since I have a calculus/algebra midsemester exam in a few days.


	13. The Gift

As I am writing this, I am thinking…

I have motherflipping panda biscuits. Today is awesome.

That's enough weirdness from the life of Kelsey.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

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Chapter 13

The Gift

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_

Virgin snow beneath my feet

_Painting the world in white_

_I tread the way_

_And lose myself into a tale. _

**-Escapist, Nightwish**

She had lied to Aizen-sama, in part.

Yes, Rei had felt dizzy and a little faint at first, and hungry. But those minor discomforts paled in comparison to what she was feeling now.

It was hard to describe. She supposed it was as if she'd spent her whole life wearing a wrongly prescribed pair of glasses, and had only just now taken them off to be able to see perfectly. But it was so much more than that.

Everything seemed sharper and clearer and richer. The world around her, even the white walls of Las Noches, seemed to have more intensity now. The sensation of lightness and strength filled her body - which wasn't really a body any more, but it felt as good as being in a body, if not better.

Rei could sense things now. It was like how she'd been able to feel for the direction of Hueco Mundo in the Garganta, but she didn't have to work as hard to use it now. She could feel a unique sort of pattern of energy around different people if she focused. Rei guessed that this was the reiatsu that Aizen had mentioned.

Ulquiorra's reiatsu was heavy and dense. As he walked her back to her room, Rei could feel its pressure on her own reiatsu. It didn't overwhelm her, though, not as Aizen's nearly had.

If reiatsu was an indicator of strength, then Aizen had to be close to godlike. Ulquiorra's reiatsu had the cold weight of ocean water, whereas Aizen's was solid, almost tangible. When he'd been standing near her, she hadn't been prepared for it. It had flooded her mouth and nose for a moment, and she'd struggled to breathe. Fortunately that feeling had subsided, and she'd been able to leave the room with Ulquiorra without fainting.

Rei wondered how much of her lightheadedness was due to her own reiatsu explosion and how much was induced by Aizen's reiatsu.

_You forgot a third factor, _her mind reminded her, and Rei felt herself blush yet again. She wasn't allowed to be attracted to Aizen. She couldn't let herself be attracted to Aizen.

And yet, she undeniably was.

_Don't be stupid, _she thought at herself irritably. _He's at least twenty-five. That's illegal in most countries. _

Not to mention the fact that if he was so inclined, Aizen could crush her in a heartbeat. Spiritual energy - if everyone here was a spiritual entity, then reiatsu _had _to be an indicator of power.

That realisation made Rei even more wary of her host. She still wasn't sure why he was permitting her to stay here. If he wanted to get rid of her, he could do so any time he wanted to, and she doubted any of the Espada or Ichimaru would lift a finger to stop him.

It was hard to pay attention to that particular worry when she was out of her body, though. She would never have to worry about her faulty heart again. Rei was struck by the sudden realisation that she could erase the phrases _situs inversus _and _unstable angina pectoris _from her memory entirely. The thought of her heart condition had been a lingering worry in the back of her head ever since she had arrived in Hueco Mundo, although she hadn't permitted it to surface. Now she would never have to think about it, ever again.

Rei thought of something then, and hesitated. She was a little frightened of Ulquiorra, but she supposed she would have to get over that eventually if Las Noches was going to be her home for the rest of the foreseeable future.

'Schiffer-san?' she asked.

Ulquiorra turned, and Rei was confronted with those soulless, catlike green eyes. 'What is it?'

She swallowed. 'The Espada with the pink hair -'

'Szayel Aporro Granz,' Ulquiorra corrected her.

'Does he - hate me? _Will _he hate me?' Rei chewed her lip.

'He is not permitted to cause you harm, if that is what you mean. Aizen-sama has forbidden it.'

'No, that's not it.' Rei paused, wondering if what she was about to say would sound stupid to the Cuatra Espada. 'I'm going to be here for a long time. I don't want anyone to dislike me. If that makes sense.'

Ulquiorra nodded. 'I see. You wish to make up for what happened in the throne room, with your reiatsu.'

Rei nodded enthusiastically. 'Yes. Is there anything I can do for him?'

'Szayel is the scientist of the Espada. The only thing I can think of that would please him is a new research subject.' Ulquiorra gazed at her. 'I doubt you would be able to offer him any assistance in his laboratory.'

Rei wasn't sure if that was a slight on her intelligence. If it was, Ulquiorra's facial expression did nothing to give it away. She decided to ignore it, in any case.

'May I speak to him now?' she asked.

'Aizen-sama asked me to see to your wellbeing,' Ulquiorra replied. 'If you wish to see the Octava Espada first, then I will permit it this once. But you cannot stay for long.'

Rei nodded, and Ulquiorra turned around and continued walking. The way he'd responded to her request didn't escape her. _I will permit it this once. _It didn't take much to make the obvious deduction.

_As much as Aizen is pretending I'm his guest and the Espada are going to be my friends, it's obvious that he's given them orders regarding me, _she thought. _And whatever Aizen's orders are, the Espada are going to follow them to the letter. _

Except, perhaps, for Grimmjow. As far as Rei knew, he was the only one of the Espada likely to disobey Aizen in anything. He'd gone to her world without permission, yes, but he'd paid for it with his arm.

They had reached a door. Ulquiorra raised his hand, knocking just once. The door slid to the side, seemingly due to some hidden mechanism.

Rei followed Ulquiorra into the darkened room. The pink-haired Espada was sitting in front of what looked like a computer screen. On the far side of the room, she caught sight of her body, lying on something similar to an operating table.

_It wouldn't be the first time, _Rei thought to herself.

Szayel rose from his seat. 'Ulquiorra-san,' he said, acknowledging the Cuatra Espada. Then his glance shifted to Rei. 'I see you brought Lord Aizen's new pet with you.' There was more than a little disdain in his voice.

'Szayel-san.' Rei bowed formally, at the same time noticing that his eyebrows seemed to be in a much better state of repair. 'I would like to offer you something in apology for injuring you.'

'What can you possibly have to offer me?' Rei couldn't quite figure out the tone in Szayel's voice. It was mocking, but at the same time something else.

'I see you have my body,' she continued.

Szayel rolled his eyes behind his glasses. 'Of course I do. Are you stupid as well as clumsy?'

'My body is…unusual for a human,' Rei told him. 'Schiffer-san told me you're a scientist. I didn't think you would've had the opportunity to have someone like me for dissection. So I thought I'd offer you my physical body.'

Szayel was silent for what seemed like at least a minute, and with every second that went passed Rei grew more convinced that her idea had been a stupid one.

Then he spoke. 'How exactly is your body unusual?'

Rei explained part of her genetic condition, choosing to leave out anything that strictly concerned her heart. It was a long and dry story which she'd had to explain to many a cardiologist with her parents in the background. She had no desire to repeat it again. If Szayel was going to use her body in a dissection he'd find out what was wrong with her soon enough, without her help.

'So your internal organs are in a mirror-image configuration, compared to a normal human body.' Szayel didn't look particularly interested.

Rei nodded. 'We call it _situs inversus._'

'I _know _what it's called,' he said dismissively. 'I know all about human anatomy. I've had countless souls to experiment on, stupid girl.'

Rei ignored the insult. 'Have you ever had a physical body to experiment on?' she asked.

Szayel shook his head. 'No.' He looked at her from behind his glasses again, and Rei noticed that his eyes were a peculiar amber colour.

'You do realise what you're doing, don't you?' he asked, speaking slowly as if he thought she was more than a little dim-witted.

Rei wasn't sure how to answer, but the Octava Espada started speaking again before she had time to think of a response. 'If you give me your body to use, I'll use it up completely. There'll be nothing but pulp left by the time I've finished. You won't be able to have it back.'

Understanding dawned on her then.

'Everyone seems to have this preconception that I might change my mind and want to go back to the real world someday.' Rei looked down at Szayel. His expression, one of derision and superiority as well as that skin-crawling double-entendre look, didn't change. 'Even Aizen-sama seems to think that. But the thing is -' Rei breathed in, having momentarily run out of air. 'I'm not going there. I didn't leave anything behind. There's nothing I'd want to go back there for, not friends, not family, not a boyfriend. I never had any of those things, except for the family, and that was just my parents. The only thing they ever did for me was provide the genetic material to make me exist. And they didn't even do _that _particularly well. My home is here now, in Las Noches. And I don't need my body any more. I just thought that someone might as well make use of it, and when Schiffer-san told me you were a scientist, I thought you were the best person to give it to.'

Szayel was silent for a moment. Rei realised she'd said more than she'd intended, and remembered that strange, silent Ulquiorra was still in the room. He would have heard every word, and would doubtless report back everything she'd said to Aizen.

The Octava Espada waved a hand at her, as if to dismiss her. 'I didn't ask for your life story. I'm only concerned with my own self-preservation. If you turned around and wanted your body back after I'd destroyed it, I'm the one who'd be punished by Aizen-sama. Your stupidity, even as painfully obvious as it is, would go unnoticed. You may leave now.'

Rei bowed. 'Thank you, Szayel-san. I will not disturb you again.' She turned back to Ulquiorra, who had already begun to leave the room.

Rei followed the Cuatra Espada in silence, losing herself in the brightness and detail of the world around her again. She didn't think about what would happen when Ulquiorra reported back to Aizen, as she knew he would - she had said nothing to Szayel that she wouldn't have said in front of Aizen himself. But it was more than that, somehow.

The abstract sense that her surroundings were something from a dream, something not quite real, was present again. It wasn't anywhere near as strong as it had been in the Garganta - it was more of a vague awareness than anything else.

Rei buried herself in thought, letting herself float along behind Ulquiorra. Maybe the explosion of reiatsu had taken more of a toll on her than she'd realised. Her dizziness had turned into heavy eyelids and a desire for sleep.

As reluctant as she was to rest with her newfound freedom, she recognised the necessity of it. She would eat whatever food Ulquiorra brought her, and then she would sleep.

The sooner she got sleeping out of the way, the sooner she could experience and experiment with the lack of limitations on her new ethereal body.

* * *

There will be more about what exactly Rei's heart condition is in the next few chapters, most probably in chapter 14. I've done my homework here, at least I hope I have. If anyone's a closet cardiologist and wants to point out any glaringly obvious errors I've made, go right ahead. I hate the thought of making an idiot of myself and using science to do it. (Any other means is fine.)


	14. The Backwards Girl

So…she's lying in Szayel's palace without a soul in her. She's unconscious, right? What's Szayel going to do?

This chapter is dedicated to a certain strip of Cyanide and Happiness. You know which one.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 14

The Backwards Girl

_

* * *

_

No one knows just what has become of her

_Shattered doll, desperate_

_Oh, so innocent and delicate_

_But too damn obdurate_

_And obstinate to let go. _

**-Façade, Disturbed**

Szayel no longer felt any desire towards the thing on the vivisection table.

On the outside, perhaps, before he'd cut it open, it could be mistaken for a sleeping human girl. She was not unattractive, otherwise she would never have caught his eye in the first place. Even when he had glanced at that first grainy image of her on the screen, his sensors picking up her odd cloudy reiatsu, he had seen the way she carried herself. In conjunction with that pale, almost translucent skin, she had had the unmistakeable air of absolute innocence about her. Szayel had seen it in the way she'd brushed tendrils of tangled dark hair out of her face in the windy desert of Hueco Mundo, oblivious to any danger or the fact that anyone was watching her.

God knew it had been a long time since he'd experienced sex. And naivete was the thing that attracted Szayel the most - naivete and inexperience and confused innocence. Those particular attributes were hard to locate in the female Arrancar of Hueco Mundo, if not impossible. And then this human girl had stumbled upon Grimmjow in the human world, and been able to follow him through the Garganta on top of that.

Szayel had thought she was free for the taking, and had thought it only a matter of time until she belonged to him. After all, she had clearly been trusting - or stupid - enough to swallow all the bullshit Aizen had fed her about being his guest of honour. It would be easy for Szayel to trick his way into her pants, or so he'd thought.

He hadn't expected her to have a mind of her own.

It had mildly surprised him that Amane Rei had a _reason_ for not returning to her own world. Szayel had assumed she had fallen under the spell of the Lord of Hueco Mundo, as so many unsuspecting others had before her.

And that reiatsu explosion -

Did she have some sort of ability? Obviously she did. She had crossed the Garganta by herself, which was no mean feat. Szayel hated to admit that he didn't know something, but even he had no idea what Amane Rei's powers might be.

He could conclude with some certainty that they weren't anything too strong, nowhere near that of a Shinigami captain, despite the strength of the reiatsu explosion. It had stung, yes, but Szayel's reaction had been borne of annoyance and embarrassment rather than out of any real pain. He suspected the explosion of reiatsu had been more due to the girl's inability to control her spiritual energy than anything else.

Her body wasn't giving any clues away. The façade of the sleeping girl was exposed underneath the ceiling of his brightly lit laboratory. His scalpel gleamed crimson, the glistening muscle tissue of the peritoneum which normally covered the abdominal cavity peeled back. The gleaming coils of intestine, the soft tissues of liver and stomach and kidneys were all in reversed configuration, just as she had told him they would be. But she hadn't told him everything.

The scars on the right side of her ribcage, even stretched and pale and faint as they were, hadn't escaped Szayel's notice. She had undergone some sort of surgical procedure in the past.

He took up the bone saw resting on the bench to his left, and opened up the thoracic cavity. The motion of the saw in his hands surprised Szayel, as always. The movement of it, backwards and forwards, was gentle and almost loving - as loving as a saw through a sternum could be. It was the same every time he used it on a corpse.

That was what she had become, the girl on the vivisection table. She was no longer an object of sexual fantasy. She couldn't be, because she was no longer anything recognisably desirable.

This was a corpse, a cadaver with entrails laid out and exposed for anyone who walked in to see.

As if mirroring Szayel's thoughts, which were uncharacteristically morbid, the door to his laboratory opened.

'I see you've gotten to know Miss Amane a little better.'

Szayel recognised the voice of his master, and laid the bone saw aside. 'Aizen-sama. An honour as always,' he said.

Aizen ignored his subordinate's greeting, moving with measured strides towards the vivisection table.

'Ulquiorra informed me that Amane-chan gave up her physical body to you.'

'Yes, that is correct. She told me that she had no desire to return to the human world,' Szayel replied.

'I know.' Aizen leant over the specimen on the vivisection table, peering at the partially sawed sternum. 'Please don't allow me to interrupt,' he said, stepping back. 'Continue.'

Szayel complied, self-conscious now that Lord Aizen was watching. He finished opening the chest cavity and pried inside the ribcage, trying to locate the heart on the right side. The heart had to be the cause of the surgical scars on the girl's ribs.

Finally he found it. Szayel made various incisions with his scalpel, lifted it out, and saw the reason for the surgery.

'Transposition,' he murmured. 'That would explain it.'

'I apologise,' Aizen interrupted from behind Szayel. 'I am an educated man, but not a scientist. Would you care to explain what you find so interesting about Miss Amane's heart?'

'Amane Rei was born with a rare genetic condition,' Szayel told him. 'Her internal organs are arranged in the mirror-image configuration of a normal human's. In other words, her heart is on the right side of her chest instead of the left.'

'And all her other organs are backwards?'

'Essentially, yes.' Szayel continued. 'The condition is sometimes accompanied by heart defects. The arteries and other blood vessels leading from Miss Amane's heart were transposed into abnormal positions at birth. She has scars on the right side of her chest from surgery, which would have attempted to correct the transposition. Unfortunately for Miss Amane, the arteries leading from her heart are unusually narrow.'

Aizen stepped forward. 'May I?' Szayel nodded, and Aizen's fingers touched his briefly as he took the heart.

His master's eyes narrowed, examining the bloody tubular arterial structure protruding from the top of the organ. 'I see.'

'The narrow arteries would have caused a lack of blood supply to the heart,' Szayel said. 'Miss Amane would have experienced irregular, intense pain. In the human world they call it _angina pectoris._'

'That would explain why she was so eager to be separated from her body,' Aizen mused, holding the heart up to the light as if examining it further.

Szayel nodded. He had run out of things to say, and was filled with a sudden desire to have Aizen out of his laboratory. His master's presence in the middle of a dissection made the Arrancar scientist uneasy.

'I assume her body reveals nothing about the nature of her abilities,' Aizen said, lowering the heart.

Szayel shook his head. 'No. If it had, of course I would have told you, Aizen-sama.'

Aizen said nothing in response. His facial expression didn't change in the slightest, but Szayel saw the Shinigami's fingers curl tightly around the bloody heart, as if trying to crush it.

'It's tougher than I expected it to be.' The tone of his master's voice was casual. 'Isn't it strange that something this stubborn grew on the inside of that girl?' Almost as soon as his fingers had tightened, they released the heart. Aizen dropped it back onto the open chest cavity of Amane Rei's corpse. It missed and sat crookedly on top of her left breast, looking almost comical. Szayel didn't feel in the least like laughing.

'I will leave you now. Please accept my apologies for interrupting you while you are working, Szayel-san.' Aizen pushed the laboratory door open with the hand that had held the heart.

Even when his master was long gone, Szayel couldn't pull his eyes away from the bloody fingerprints on the white of the door. His uncharacteristic mental silence buzzed with the realisation that he could quite easily share the same fate as Amane Rei's dead heart, any time Aizen felt like delivering it.

* * *

Okay, this turned out a lot darker than I expected it to. I originally planned to have Ulquiorra walk in on Szayel's dissection, you know, because his eyes have never seen a human heart before. Then I decided it would be so much more creepy and atmospheric if Aizen was the one to do it. Plus I got the satisfaction of writing a scene where Rei's heart is quite literally in the palm of Aizen's hand.

So Rei has (sort of) survived her first full day in Hueco Mundo. I'm pretty proud of her, seeing as she's my creation and all. She's turned out both simpler and way more complex than I thought she would.

I _think _that's a good thing. Also, if anyone's spotted any major anatomical boo-boos I've made here, please do let me know.


	15. Sensei

Wow...looking at the reviews I got over the weekend made me happy. *grins*

I am pleased to tell you that I have begun drawing Aizen-sama as he appears in Chapter 1…and the drawing will be scanned as soon as it is done.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 15

Sensei

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You don't remember me,

_But I remember you_

_I lie awake and try so hard_

_Not to think of you_

_But who can decide what they dream?_

_And dream I do. _

**-Taking Over Me, Evanescence**

Rei was grateful that she'd woken up beforehand and dressed herself when Ulquiorra arrived at her door.

'Aizen-sama requests that you meet with him,' the Cuatra Espada told her, voice toneless as per usual.

Rei nodded, and left the room. The silence as she walked behind Ulquiorra was more tangible than it had been yesterday. It pressed in on her, thick and heavy like the Espada's reiatsu. Rei felt more shy and awkward than ever.

It was all very well to think that nothing was enforcing solitude and shyness on her now that she was in Hueco Mundo. It was something else entirely to act on it and _make _herself crawl out of her shell. The fact that the Fourth Espada was more than a little intimidating did nothing to help her.

Rei remained silent, like a coward, letting her thoughts roam again. She was going to see Aizen. Part of her felt dangerously elated at that. Another associated part was anxious at the prospect of seeing her host again, hoping that she wouldn't do anything to make herself look stupid in his eyes. The rest of her mind, the rapidly shrinking part which still thought logically, was screaming at her to stop it and concentrate on holding her cool.

_That's what I should be doing, _Rei thought. _He's older than me, and he's a stranger, and I know there's something off about him. He's not the nice person he's pretending to be. _

Strangely, none of those arguments seemed to affect the lightness in her chest and thoughts at all.

Ulquiorra stopped in front of an open door, motioning her in. 'Thank you, Schiffer-san,' Rei murmured, and stepped inside as he'd indicated.

It wasn't the throne room - she'd figured that out already, from the shape of the door. This room was smaller, but still empty save for Aizen Sousuke.

Rei met his eyes, and just as quickly looked away. Looking at him for too long felt as if she was staring directly into the heart of the sun.

'Amane-chan,' he greeted her, moving forward. 'Are you finding Las Noches to your liking so far?'

Rei knew, with her strange sixth sense which seemed specific to Aizen, that the note of concern in his voice was entirely fabricated, as was the smile on his lips.

'Yes, Aizen-sama,' she replied, her voice soft.

No, _everything _about her was soft at this point in time, particularly her knees. Rei felt in danger of collapsing. It was the magnetic effect of him, the way his face and his smile kept drawing her eyes, and she kept looking at him without meaning to. With difficulty, she forced herself to remain at a distance. _I barely know this man, _she thought. _I certainly don't know what he has planned for me. _

Because Aizen had a plan. Rei knew that for sure.

'I'm sure you're wondering why I asked Ulquiorra to bring you to me.' Half her resolve not to fall under his spell dissolved at that.

Part of Rei's studies had included an education in music, at the insistence of her mother. She had learnt to play the cello, which she had exhibited only a modest talent for. What had really interested her was singing. She had asked her parents to pay for private classical singing lessons. Her mother had agreed - Amane Julia had graduated from a music university in London, and Rei's father being a high-profile businessman meant that the couple were never short of money.

So Rei had been tutored in the art of voice, and had developed an ear for the cadence of other voices as well as her own.

And Aizen's voice -

The first comparison that came to Rei's mind was melted chocolate, which seemed rather flowery and silly a description when she thought the words. Nevertheless, it fit perfectly in her head. Even when saying something completely mundane, Aizen's voice was smooth and warm and addictively musical. At the same time, there was the ever-present undercurrent. Rei was almost certain she wasn't imagining it. His voice contained a subliminal hint of dark promise, the Aizen beneath the surface, the truth behind the smile, as well as the briefest hint of seduction.

_Now you really are imagining things, _Rei thought crossly at herself. _Seduction? Idiot. _

'I am sorry, Amane-chan,' Aizen said, smiling apologetically. 'I must confess that, even after having Szayel remove you from your physical body, I have no idea what your abilities are. So I thought I would bring you here, and make a request of you.'

Rei nodded. 'I would be happy to do whatever you ask of me, Aizen-sama. You've been very kind to me.'

'Think nothing of it. What I would like you to do, if you can, is replicate what you did in the Garganta.' Aizen looked down at her.

Rei thought, trying to remember exactly what it was she'd done. It came to her slowly, trickling through the gaps in her memory like water. The sense that she always had in dreams, that the world around her was part of her and could be manipulated as she willed, was still there. It wasn't as strong as it had been in the Garganta, but it was there.

Rei closed her eyes, because she knew that helped. Even the thought of looking stupid in front of Aizen had been banished to the back of her mind. She could feel the floor, the ceiling, the walls.

She wasn't sure what to do with it at first. Then she remembered that Aizen had asked her to copy what she'd done in the Garganta.

Rei stood in the centre of the featureless room for what felt like hours, shaping and sculpting the stuff around her. She couldn't focus too much of her mind on any one point - just like it had in Garganta, anything she'd shaped seemed to dissolve if she didn't hold it in place.

Rei finally opened her eyes, and saw what she'd made.

It wasn't anything like as graceful and artistic as it had been in her mind. Instead of swooping curves and arches, the room looked like it had been turned into a piece of glassy modern art. Like the steps she'd made in the Garganta, her blobby molten efforts resembled faintly luminescent ice. One structure looked like it was a frozen snapshot of a lava lamp.

'I'm sorry,' she said, looking down at her feet. 'I didn't mean it to turn out like that.'

Daring to look at Aizen, Rei saw the thoughtful expression on his face. 'Please don't feel the need to apologise, Amane-chan,' he said. 'From what I've seen, I now have some idea of what your abilities are.'

Rei stared at him, curious. 'What is it that I do?' she asked.

'It won't have escaped you that Hueco Mundo is not like the physical world,' Aizen replied, still looking at her with that thoughtful expression. 'Hueco Mundo, and everything in it, is made up of what we call spirit particles. What you seem to be able to do is slowly manipulate spirit matter.'

'Is there anyone else that can do it?' Rei was thinking of the Espada when she asked the question.

Aizen shook his head. 'There are a breed of humans, called Quincies, who can use spirit particles as projectile weapons. That's the closest I've seen to what you can do. And your ability is very different to theirs - Quincies affect spirit matter on a smaller scale, and use their powers almost instantaneously. What you just did took about half an hour.' He smiled, obviously intending to reassure her. 'Then again, you could become faster with practice.'

Privately, Rei disagreed. She knew that this wasn't the first time she'd used her strange power, not really - she'd had lucid dreams ever since she was little and done the same sort of thing. If she hadn't managed to get faster than half an hour in over ten years, she probably wasn't likely to get any faster at all.

'I would like to learn how to use my ability,' she said instead.

'You may think of me as your teacher, if you wish.' Aizen was still smiling, and Rei had to keep herself constantly on guard to prevent her reason and rationality from abandoning her. 'Although my powers are very different to your own, I've existed as a spiritual entity for a long time.'

'Then should I call you Aizen-sensei?' Rei asked.

Aizen laughed. His laugh was as musical as his voice. 'There is no need to be so formal. Please continue to address me as Aizen-sama, if that is what you feel comfortable with.'

Rei nodded. She couldn't think of anything else to say. She was tongue-tied and awkward again.

'Will you do me the honour of joining me for tea, Amane-chan?' Aizen's voice was as polite as ever.

The part of Rei's mind that was besotted with Aizen gained command of her tongue. 'I would love to, Aizen-sama,' she replied.

* * *

Aizen has a sexy, sexy voice. We all know it.

On the how-long-will-Rei-last-before-she-falls-for-Aizen front, she's lasted just over a day thus far. And I'm pretty sure she'll melt a little bit more over tea.


	16. The Mad Hatter

Because Aizen is having a tea party.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

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Chapter 16

The Mad Hatter

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Lead astray the gazes

_The razors on your seducing skin_

_In the meadow of sinful thoughts_

_Every flower's a perfect one. _

**-She Is My Sin, Nightwish**

She still didn't entirely trust him.

Aizen was quite honestly surprised. Even as he watched Amane Rei hesitantly sipping at her tea, he could still detect the wariness in her silver-grey eyes.

It confused him. At times he could see that she was undeniably attracted to him, and he waited for her to finally let her guard down and abandon caution.

But that never happened. Whenever she looked like letting go, she always seemed to bring herself back from the brink of surrender. Her eyes would shutter, and she would look away from him.

It was more than a little frustrating.

Amane Rei no longer reminded him of Hinamori Momo in the slightest, not even physically. She had none of Hinamori's naïveté, none of Hinamori's childish blind faith. Amane Rei was a lot more perceptive than Aizen had given her credit for.

That irritated him. Aizen didn't like to miscalculate. Miscalculations meant flaws, and he was flawless. He was god of Hueco Mundo.

And he wouldn't be tripped up by a human girl.

He had come to mentally revise his initial impression of the girl he'd met in the rain. She wasn't a child, at least not mentally. He had shown her nothing but kindness, he had used the same face and smile that had charmed Hinamori Momo, and yet still she resisted him. That was an admirable feat in itself.

And her powers -

Amane Rei wasn't made for fighting, that much was clear. The amount of time it took her to manifest her abilities would leave her vulnerable in a battle. If she was going to be of use to him, it wouldn't be as a soldier.

It was that manner of thinking that had led Aizen to underestimate her. She wasn't made for fighting, but that didn't mean she couldn't demonstrate power. Certainly, Amane Rei was no Hinamori Momo. Instead she resonated with someone else in Aizen's memory, someone else he'd partially underestimated.

Unohana Retsu had suspected him prior to his defection from Soul Society. She had seen through the illusory corpse created by Kyouka Suigetsu. To the best of his knowledge, the Fourth Company Captain had never gotten into a fight, but she'd also been a Captain for longer than anyone else in Seireitei.

Yes, Aizen could see certain parallels between Amane Rei and Captain Unohana Retsu. He hadn't been able to fully control Unohana as he had everyone else.

Of course, the obvious solution to eliminating Amane Rei's mistrust of him was to use Kyouka Suigetsu on her. However, Aizen was loath to take that course of action. It seemed rather heavy-handed, and heavy-handedness definitely wasn't a personality trait of his. Not to mention that there was every possibility it wouldn't work.

Amane Rei wasn't buying into the image of the kind benefactor Aizen had presented to her. Illusions, on top of that, were unlikely to do much.

But he had an advantage. Amane Rei, unlike Unohana Retsu, had a weakness, and that weakness was the fact that she was quite obviously besotted with him.

Aizen smiled, hiding the facial expression with his tea cup. She was obviously young and inexperienced in regards to _that _particular playing field. So that was the game he would play.

He mentally weighed Amane against the other women he'd romanced. He knew already that Szayel considered her attractive. In that respect he had to say that he agreed with his Octava Espada in part.

She was fragile and delicate-looking, with an undertone of steely intelligence in her wolf's eyes that Hinamori Momo would never possess. Although she would never be considered ravishingly beautiful by anyone's standards, she was alluring in her own way. The white dress Ulquiorra had chosen fit her upper body closely, and Aizen could see that she'd almost outgrown the clumsiness and disproportionality of adolescence.

Most of all it was her lack of experience that intrigued him. Aizen could pick that out in the guileless way she looked down at her shoes whenever she blushed. Yes, he'd been taking the wrong approach entirely. He couldn't win her over with simple kindness, as he had with Hinamori. Amane was more of a challenge than that. All of a sudden her reserve towards him was exciting rather than frustrating.

Aizen settled back in his chair, hiding the smirk in his thoughts with a friendly smile as he examined Amane Rei. He had no desire to deceive her, tear her down and destroy her as he had with the other Shinigami in Soul Society. He merely wished to have her under his control.

He was the Lord of Hueco Mundo, after all, and Amane Rei was in his domain.

Just last night, he had held her heart in the palm of his hand and curled his fingers around it until bright arterial blood seeped out.

Soon her heart would belong to him in more ways than one, as would her mind and body.

Aizen finished his tea, as did his guest. She stood, dipping in a clumsy curtsey, and he saw the slight colour in her cheeks.

'Thank you, Aizen-sama,' she murmured.

Aizen walked towards her, and took her hand in his own. It was thin and fragile, much more so than the stubborn muscle of her heart.

'You are welcome, Amane-chan,' he replied, lowering his head and brushing his lips over the top of her hand. It was a gentlemanly gesture, with nothing inappropriate about it. Even so, he saw Amane flush an intense shade of pink as he moved away.

She bowed her head again, half-walking, half-stumbling out of the room. Aizen smiled as he watched her. He had to admit he'd enjoyed the interaction. Even in her spiritual form, her skin was thin and he'd been able to see the blue of translucent veins in the underside of her wrist. He had felt the curious need to be careful when kissing her hand, as though it might break.

That fragility was just as appealing to him as her innocence was. For certain, his life in Hueco Mundo was going to be a lot less boring from now on.

* * *

O_o

Damn you, Rei. I'm jealous.

I think we can agree that since Aizen's decided to make her fall in love with him, she's pretty much f**ked as far as self-control goes. I know I would be, in her situation.


	17. Babysitter

And this chapter features…the return of Grimmjow! (We love him lots. Anyone who says otherwise is a dirty, dirty liar. )

In other news, my Aizen picture has now been inked. I think he looks pretty damn good. He'll look even better once I've coloured him. And I'm working on one of Grimmjow too.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

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Third Movement:

_**Romanticide (Star-Crossed Lovers)**_

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Chapter 17

Babysitter

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I feel them getting closer

_Their howls are sending chills down my spine_

_And time is running out now_

_They're coming down the hills from behind_

…

_From the hell that we're in_

_All we are is fading away_

_When we start killing. _

**-The Howling, Within Temptation**

So apparently the duties of the Sexta Espada now included babysitting Aizen's human.

Grimmjow scowled. He was already in a foul mood, caused mostly by the absence of his arm. Of course it wouldn't have been a problem if he was like Ulquiorra and had kept his regenerative abilities, but hindsight could go and get fucked.

Szayel, apparently keen to return the favour after Grimmjow had laughed at his singed eyebrows, had been shooting snide comments his way concerning both the Sexta's injury and the task Grimmjow had been given. Even Grimmjow's threats to tear the asshole a new asshole had been ineffective.

_If that motherfucker gives me any more shit, he can have fuckin' babysitting duty, _Grimmjow thought.

The thought rang hollow. Grimmjow knew perfectly well that Aizen had given him the chore as an unofficial reprimand, a warning of sorts that he would be stripped of his rank as an Espada if he disobeyed the Lord of Hueco Mundo again. He couldn't delegate the job to a lower Espada, even if that Espada was Szayel Aporro Granz. Anyway, entrusting the woman to Szayel's care - if it could be called that - would hardly earn him points with Aizen.

He was supposed to look after Amane Rei and see to her training. Aizen wouldn't look too kindly on Grimmjow if the woman ended up getting impregnated by Szayel.

Grimmjow could feel Amane's reiatsu. He stopped in front of her bedroom door. 'Fuck politeness,' he muttered, and kicked it.

Almost immediately the door opened.

The woman obviously hadn't had time to get dressed. She blinked slowly at him, wrapped in a bed sheet. Her dark hair was a tangled messy cloud, corkscrew curls poking out of it irregularly.

'Jaggerjack-san?' She smiled hesitantly, and that just pissed Grimmjow off more.

'Put some clothes on. You've got training to do.' He shut the door in her face, and waited.

When she came out, in her dress with her hair tamed, she still had that shy smile on her face. 'Where are we going?' she asked.

Ignoring her question, he responded with one of his own. 'What do you look so fucking happy about?'

Amane's cheeks coloured at that. She was obviously embarrassed, and Grimmjow was struck by the girl's lack of guile, her inability to hide what she was feeling. She wouldn't last five minutes against Aizen.

_Of course she won't, _he thought to himself. _She's just a kid. _

'I don't want to be unkind to Schiffer-san,' she said. 'But he - frightens me, a little. I'm glad you're the one who's going to be watching me train, Jaggerjack-san.'

Grimmjow glared at her. 'Don't _I _scare you?'

The woman thought about that. 'No, not really.'

Grimmjow ignored her. 'We're going outside Las Noches.'

'To the desert?' she asked.

'No. We're going to Seireitei to make friendship bracelets with the fuckin' Gotei 13.' Grimmjow paused for effect. 'Are you stupid? Of course we're going to the desert.'

'Where's Seireitei?' she asked as they walked, nearing the gate to the outside. 'What's the Gotei 13? And why are we going to the desert?'

'I told you when you first came here. I'm not here to answer your fucking questions.'

The gate opened, and Grimmjow saw the woman blink. That, at least, was understandable. Being inside of Las Noches for any period of time, and then exiting into Hueco Mundo, did strange things to your head. Las Noches was Aizen's simulacrum of the real world, where there was a sun and fresh air and warmth on your face when you stepped outside.

Whenever Grimmjow saw the grey sand and unchanging night sky of Hueco Mundo, he had to remind himself that Las Noches was a lie.

He glanced at the woman again. He supposed she deserved some warning of what was to come.

'You're going to fight a Hollow,' he said.

Amane turned to look at him. The expression on her face wasn't fear, as Grimmjow had expected it to be. Instead she merely looked questioning. 'Aizen-sama said my ability was slow-moving. Why would he want me to try and use it in a fight?'

'Lord Aizen thinks a fight will teach you to move faster. My Fracción are going to bring the Hollow here - it's piss-weak. You shouldn't have any trouble.' Aizen had told Grimmjow that he wanted to see how the pressure and stress of a fight would affect the woman, whose abilities weren't suited to battle. Aizen was essentially experimenting with Amane, seeing if a fight for her life would trigger any previously unexplored abilities. When he wanted to, the ruler of Hueco Mundo could be as morally dubious as Szayel.

Of course she wouldn't get hurt, or be allowed to die. That wouldn't go down well with his master. It was obvious that Aizen was only letting Amane see one facet of him, and the face he was choosing to present to her was full of false compassion. Aizen had made it clear that nothing was going to be allowed to contradict that image.

Grimmjow's instructions were to step in and kill the Hollow if things started going badly for Amane. He felt no qualms about killing what was technically his own species in front of the human.

After all, that was how he'd made it to the top. Admittedly, there was no way he could eat the Hollow in front of Amane. He couldn't afford to frighten her. It would go badly for him if he did. Aizen would give him a lot more than babysitting duty as a punishment.

It was a pity - he hadn't gone hunting for at least a week now, if weeks could be counted in Hueco Mundo - but a necessity. Anyway, it was a Demi-Hollow that his Fracción had caught, only recently departed from the human world. It would hardly be enough for Grimmjow.

He looked at the woman, and wondered if she knew the meaning of fear. She was a human, a child who'd only been out of her body a day, and she was about to fight something she'd never seen before with an ability that - by Aizen's account - was next to useless in battle.

Yet she didn't look afraid, or even nervous. And Grimmjow already knew for himself that she wasn't stupid.

So what was the look on her face? Her eyes were narrowed slightly, as if lost in thought.

'Does your reiatsu still explode?' The question came out almost without Grimmjow thinking about it.

The girl started, interrupted from her reverie. 'No.' She still seemed distant. 'I don't think so. I don't even know how I did it.'

'You might want to start remembering, dumbass.' Grimmjow let the scorn stay in his voice. 'It's all you've got to fight with.'

Inwardly, he was surprised at himself. He'd never been one for helping the weak, or so he'd always thought. In Hueco Mundo, those who couldn't fend for themselves were eaten. It was part of the reason he'd resented this whole babysitting assignment from the beginning.

Grimmjow's train of thought was interrupted by the presence of another reiatsu nearby. A fraction of a second later, an Arrancar stepped into view with the familiar shift of a Sonido.

'Took your time,' Grimmjow snapped. 'Tell me you at least brought the Demi-Hollow.'

Ilforte Granz nodded. 'I let it go not far from here, Grimmjow-san.' His lip curled, and the Fracción brushed a strand of pale blonde hair out of his face. 'It's thick-headed. I didn't even have to use force. I just told it there was a human soul nearby.' His eyes fell on Amane, and the Arrancar smirked. 'Is this Aizen-sama's human?'

_Fuck, _Grimmjow thought, glaring at the Octava Espada's older brother and the way his eyes were lingering on the woman's legs underneath her skirt. _I guess that shit's genetic. _

'Yeah,' he replied shortly. 'You're done here. You can leave now.'

Ilforte bowed. The mocking look in the Arrancar's eyes didn't escape Grimmjow. He felt the bastard's reiatsu flicker as Ilforte moved into Sonido and vanished.

_The asshole didn't deserved to be saved, _he thought. _He fell to a fuckin' lieutenant. Damn Tousen. _

If the former Shinigami captain hadn't sensed the mortally wounded Arrancar's reiatsu, the older Granz sibling would be dead in the human world right now. Sure as hell, Tousen hadn't done it to cover Grimmjow's back. Grimmjow guessed he'd picked Ilforte up to try and earn points with Aizen for preventing the loss of another Numero.

_Good luck with that, _Grimmjow thought dryly. Even he knew that the Gillian class Arrancar were cannon fodder to Tousen's precious Lord Aizen. Even the Adjuchas class - including Grimmjow himself - were expendable. It was possible that someday Grimmjow would share the fate of the Privaron Espada, as soon as Aizen had created enough of the Vasto Lorde Arrancar.

_No way, _he thought. _If any Vasto Lorde thinks it can replace me, I'll kick its fuckin' ass. _

That too felt empty. Grimmjow didn't like his chances of winning a fight against the likes of Starrk and Harribel.

He was distracted by the appearance of the Hollow.

His senses barely registered its reiatsu, and Grimmjow glared at with an equal measure of disgust and disdain. This _thing _was lower even than the Gillians which dwelled far below the sands of Hueco Mundo. Grimmjow had forgotten how pitifully weak Demi-Hollows were.

The Demi-Hollow raised its mask, the shape vaguely reminiscent of a frog's head, and roared. Grimmjow glanced at Amane Rei, and saw her turn even whiter than she already was, whiter than Ulquiorra.

_She'll turn and run, _he thought.

Much to his surprise, she didn't. Amane Rei's hands tightened into fists, and her eyes shut. Her entire face screwed itself up, her nose wrinkling, and Grimmjow realised she was taking his advice - trying to make her reiatsu expand rapidly as it had in the throne room.

Her spiritual pressure flickered, moving out a little and then in again. That was all it managed to do, for about thirty seconds.

The Demi-Hollow howled again, and Grimmjow could see the strands of saliva between its jaws.

'Hey, stupid!' he yelled. 'Do something, or it'll eat you!'

The muscles in the woman's face relaxed. Her eyelashes fluttered, and space bent.

It reminded Grimmjow of the opening of a Garganta at first, and then he realised that was wrong. This wasn't the fabric of the world ripping, sounding almost pained. The Garganta seemed graceful, compared to this.

There was a clumsy pushing, a giant blind fist pummelling the air like an invisible but stupid child with a broken toy. Grimmjow could see the sand at Amane's feet gradually give way under the battering, separating into the spirit particles which flowed freely through the Garganta. The spirit particle stream hovered, gathering together into something amorphous which gradually spread out in front of her. Grimmjow understood. _She's making a barrier, _he realised.

But it was forming too slowly.

Even as Grimmjow raised his hand, the sphere of red energy growing, the Demi-Hollow lunged forward.

It didn't have time to advance. Grimmjow's Cero bisected it, shearing the thing in two from mask to tail. The Demi-Hollow tried to scream, but failed as it dissolved onto the desert wind.

In the silence left behind, Grimmjow looked at Amane. Her barrier was slowly subsiding, turning back into individual spirit particles. Her eyes were open again, and she gazed at him.

The look in her eyes felt too private, making him want to turn away. It was shame, written not just in her eyes but in her entire person.

'I'm sorry, Jaggerjack-san.' Her apology was quiet, barely audible.

Not knowing what else to do, Grimmjow shrugged. 'Is that all you know how to do?' he asked.

Amane nodded. 'Aizen-sama is teaching me - I suppose he's teaching me how to be a spirit.'

Grimmjow made a derisive noise at that. 'I guess I'm stuck with teaching you shit you can use, like how to defend yourself.'

As soon as he'd said it, he wondered what had possessed him to let the words slip out of his mouth. As it was, he was just taking over Ulquiorra's job as the woman's supervisor. All he had to do right now was watch the woman, feed her, take her anywhere she wanted to go, and make sure she was right where Aizen wanted her.

Grimmjow had just condemned himself to taking the more active role of teacher. He felt like slapping himself in the face.

Amane's face lit up. 'Thank you, Jaggerjack-san. I - I really appreciate it.' She looked down. 'I'd really like to become stronger.'

At least Grimmjow could sympathise with that. The desire to increase his strength had been what drove him to eat his own kind and become a Menos. Beyond that, he had eaten other Menos and become an Adjuchas. The need to become stronger had come to define who he was, in a way.

'If I take you back inside Las Noches using Sonido, are you gonna puke again?' he asked roughly.

Amane shook her head, blushing. 'No. I mean, I don't think so.'

Grimmjow thought about throwing the woman over his shoulder again as he had last time, then rejected the idea. She was valuable property now, Aizen's valuable property.

He held her by the upper arms, facing her. She looked him in the face just before they disappeared from the desert, and he caught a glimpse of silver-grey eyes.

* * *

Gaaaah I have a fever and my throat feels like it's been sandpapered. The weather is actually _warm _for a change and I'm stuck in my snowtrooper clothes because my immune system fails at life. Thanks, white cells. Thanks very much.

Despite feeling crappy, I will try and still write.


	18. Hand of the Puppetmaster

Angina/Symphony

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Chapter 18

Hand of the Puppetmaster

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I hear your voice

_In my head_

_Is this the voice of my master in my chest?_

**-Temptation, Leaves' Eyes**

'Seems like she knows an awful lot already, Aizen-sama.' His lieutenant grinned, but then that was nothing new. 'And Grimmjow's told ya he's gonna teach her ta fight?'

Aizen nodded, feeling a smile of his own transform his lips. 'Yes, that was unusually considerate of him.'

Gin's long fingers cradled his tea cup precariously, as if at any moment the snake in him might rear its head and let the china fall to the floor. 'And here I was thinkin' Grimmjow-san didn't have a weakness. Looks like ya might have some competition, Aizen-sama.'

Aizen laughed at the notion of Grimmjow rivalling him in anything, least of all the affections of Amane Rei. 'You've seen the way Miss Amane looks at me, haven't you, Gin?'

'It's hard ta miss,' Gin acknowledged. 'All the Espada must know by now that she's in love with ya.'

Aizen knew that was wrong, but didn't correct his subordinate. Yes, it was clear that Amane adored Aizen, and wanted to be adored by him. But she wasn't in love with him, not yet. She still mistrusted him, and if he brushed against her he could feel her reiatsu shrink away.

_Adoration is the state furthest from understanding. _

It seemed he'd been wrong then. It seemed that that logic only applied to simple childish women like Hinamori Momo. Because Amane Rei adored him, but also seemed, inexplicably, to understand. She was anything but easy to manipulate.

'I guess that's lucky for ya, Aizen-sama.'

Aizen glanced at Gin. 'How so?'

'Funny, ain't it,' the other Shinigami remarked casually, brushing a strand of silver hair aside with an index finger, 'that yer doing yer darnedest to make her dance ta yer tune, but she keeps stepping aside without even realisin' she's doin' it. Makes me wonder what Amane-chan would be capable of if she weren't on yer side, especially with her powers bein' what they are.'

Curiosity welled up in Aizen at that, even though it was fairly clear where his lieutenant was going with this. He waited for Gin to continue speaking.

'I mean, she's kinda like yer opposite, ain't she?' Gin set down his tea cup. 'Don't take offence to this, Aizen-sama, but in some ways her powers trump yer own. Yer ability controls illusion. Ya can make people's perceptions be whatever ya want 'em to be, and that's no mean feat. But Amane-chan can make the _world_ be whatever she wants it to be.'

'Yes,' Aizen countered, 'but is reality always superior to illusion? Amane herself thinks not. She left behind what she thought was reality to be here.'

'Indeed, indeed. Can't argue with that.' Gin settled back in his chair, seeming to concede his own defeat in the debate. 'She thinks the sun shines outta ya, Aizen-sama. Of course she's no danger to ya while she feels that way.'

Aizen could see the point Gin was trying to make. Right now, as she was, Amane Rei could be of use to him somehow even if she didn't entirely trust him. But if the seed of doubt in the back of her mind was ever fertilised and allowed to grow -

She would become an enemy, and he would have to destroy her.

Because Gin was right. If Aizen's previous assumption had been correct, Kyouka Suigetsu would be of little use against Amane. He would have to use other methods to kill her, and he would have to succeed.

Admittedly right now she would pose very little threat even if she did turn against him. But Aizen knew that given time, she would become stronger, and then it was quite possible that she could turn Hueco Mundo itself into his foe.

The trouble was that he didn't know enough about her strange power. And her mind was even more of an enigma to him.

Aizen supposed he had to resign himself to that. He smiled again. Amane Rei didn't pose a difficulty to him at the moment - that was a possible future problem, not a present one. There was only a very slim possibility that she would rebel against him. In all honesty, Aizen couldn't see it happening. Ungrounded suspicion couldn't hope to compete with the flush of first love.

And he would be Amane's first love, even if she wasn't that far gone yet. In truth, the fact that she was resistant to him when so many other women had been his in a heartbeat was part of the reason she was desirable. She already half-belonged to him. Aizen could see it in her eyes, whenever they dared to meet his own.

The important thing was for him to ensure that he never gave that seed of doubt anything to help it put down roots. Aizen could never allow his mask to slip, at least not in Amane Rei's presence. That would be no problem for him. After all, he had fooled the Gotei 13 for more than a hundred and ten years. He would hardly have any trouble with one teenage girl.

Grimmjow, however, had turned himself into a wild card.

It had been made abundantly clear to Aizen since Grimmjow's transformation into an Arrancar that the Sexta Espada wasn't loyal to him as Ulquiorra and the others were. Grimmjow followed Aizen only because Aizen had made him stronger, and obeyed Aizen's wishes whenever they coincided with his own. The Sexta Espada certainly didn't trust his master, and that would become a problem if Grimmjow started spending time with Amane.

On top of that, Grimmjow was unstable and unpredictable, and violent with it. Those personality traits made for a volatile combination.

'So you think it's possible that Grimmjow could develop an attraction to Miss Amane?' Aizen asked his subordinate, recalling Gin's earlier words.

Gin shrugged. 'Why not? Szayel has.'

Aizen dismissed that. 'Szayel belongs to me. Grimmjow is…' He paused. 'Different,' he finished.

'Ta be honest? I don't think he'd ever feel anything fer Amane-chan.' Gin's eyes opened out of their squint, and Aizen glimpsed red irises before the eyelids fluttered shut again. 'We both know that Grimmjow-san looks out for number one and number one alone.'

'I assume you aren't talking about Starrk and Lilinette when you say that, Gin,' Aizen replied, letting amusement colour his voice.

'Ya know what I mean, Aizen-sama. Grimmjow-san ain't got no time for anyone who's weaker than him.'

Aizen nodded in agreement. 'I suppose you're right.'

He said one thing, but thought another. On the inside he was wondering why, if Gin was right, Grimmjow had offered to teach Amane Rei self-defence of his own free will.

That thought was followed by the mental equivalent of a shrug. Who knew what the Sexta Espada's motives were? Who cared? Unlike Amane, Grimmjow was easy to control, because Aizen knew exactly what the Arrancar wanted and exactly what he would respond to.

If Grimmjow did start to whisper poison into Amane's ear, Aizen would simply relieve him of his duties as her caretaker. He already had a replacement in mind, a replacement which could very well work to his advantage.

* * *

Gangsta! Aizen:

Bitches Don't Know 'Bout My Evil Plan.

My flu is marginally better this morning. However, I appear to have lost a lot of my vocal range, meaning I can't sing in the shower when no one's around like I usually do.

Well, I can. I just sound like a broken squeaky toy instead of a human.


	19. Dante's Wonderland

In this chapter I present to you - Aizen's l33t flirting skillz. Oh yeah.

And now I has a stuffy nose. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU…I'll get over it. As far as good news goes…I did well on my maths exam! Aizen-sama be praised! (I actually got stuck on the calculus bit and did a doodle of him and his pimp stare on the answer sheet, with the caption "Calculus bows to Aizen-sama." Homage to Lord Aizen = reason for passing exam. Try it.)

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 19

Dante's Wonderland

_

* * *

You do believe_

_So I can say_

_That you are owned by me_

…

_Fool_

_Kneel for me again_

_I am your agony, mark my words_

_I will never set you free. _

**-Fools of Damnation, Epica**

Absently, Rei fiddled with a strand of her hair. It had resisted all her attempts to make it neat. She had inherited its tendency to curl from her mother. Julia's fair hair always looked managed, the curls lending sophistication to her appearance. No matter what Rei did with her own hair, it always looked untidy, in her eyes at least.

At least she could see how she looked now. After Grimmjow had taken her back to her room in Las Noches, Rei had sat on her bed and practised for what felt like hours. She had discovered that by mentally pressing on surfaces after she'd formed them, she could slow the dissolution of the spirit particles, and eventually she'd been able to stop it entirely. After many failed attempts, she'd managed to create herself an oval of shiny glasslike stuff. The reflective surface had been the hardest to do, but eventually Rei had turned the oval into a mirror.

It was just as well. Aizen's lieutenant, Ichimaru Gin, had come to her door shortly afterwards.

Ichimaru was…unusual. Rei supposed that some people would find the man unnerving at the very least. That perpetual grin, combined with his long, pallid, thin fingers and the eyes that remained elusive behind his squint would have unsettled most people.

But Rei didn't find him disconcerting in the slightest. It had even been possible for her to muster laughter in response to some joke he'd made. She had realised with a start as she was talking to him, responding to his questions about her day, that she regarded him with innate curiosity, just as she did everything else in Hueco Mundo. Rei had begun to wonder how she would feel about Hueco Mundo and its inhabitants once the curiosity wore off - which it eventually would - but that train of thought had been cut short with Ichimaru's next words.

'Aizen-sama wanted me to ask ya if ya would do him the honour of visiting him tonight, Amane-chan.'

It had been beyond Rei's power to do anything except nod. As soon as Ichimaru Gin had left, she'd hastily started getting ready and at the same time thanked her lucky stars that she'd chosen to make a mirror. She'd washed herself, dressed, then stared obsessively at her reflection as if she could make herself better-looking through sheer force of will.

Then Grimmjow had taken her to Aizen's rooms. Her host had addressed her from the other side of a door. 'Please excuse my momentary absence, Amane-chan. I will be with you shortly.'

So Rei had cautiously perched on the very edge of a couch, as if Aizen would be angry with her if she made herself too much at home, and waited. The strand of hair she'd been twirling fell away from her finger.

Grimmjow had asked her, rather abruptly, if she needed food or anything before he took her to 'Mister Supervisor's rooms.' Rei had told him no, even though just an hour ago her stomach had been growling as a result of the long day she'd spent training. She felt slightly nauseous.

_This is ridiculous, _she thought. _He's just a person, just like anyone else. He shouldn't have the power to make me feel this way when he's not even in the room. He isn't _God.

Rei firmly made up her mind that she was going to be sensible this time. She wasn't going to spend however long this visit was supposed to last staring in girlish adoration at Aizen Sousuke. She'd keep a cool head, and keep a hold on herself. She needed to figure out what his game was.

_Count in your head, _she thought to herself. _Do row reductions. Do matrices. I don't care how much you hate linear algebra. _

As if triggered by her thoughts, the door at the other end of the room she was in opened. Rei averted her eyes, as if the sight of Aizen might burn twin holes through them, but couldn't resist looking up.

When she did, she was hard-pressed to remember her previous mental pep talk.

He'd obviously been showering, or something, and was only half-dressed. His hair was damp, and so was the rest of him - she could see the water droplets on his skin. They caught the light on the back of his hand as he ran his fingers through his hair, altering the position of the curl between his eyes. He did it almost, Rei thought, without thinking, without having any idea of the absolute clarity with which his every movement was engraved in her memory.

It astounded her, how careless he was. She wondered how it was possible that he could so simply exist, without being aware of the fact that he'd caused Rei's universe to cease rotating about its axis.

Rei noticed the inside of his wrists, tendons shifting ever so slightly underneath skin that was tinted gold from the light of the bathroom behind him. She observed, with a microscopic attention to detail, the movement of his shoulders as he slipped into the top half of his white outfit, covering his bare chest. Part of her felt a little disappointed, as he did so.

He was beautiful. Even that seemed too clumsy, too earthy a word to describe him with. Rei's previous self-denial had been correct. Aizen Sousuke wasn't God. He was far, far more than that.

Aizen noticed her, and he smiled. Rei's heart, her non-defective soul's heart, very nearly forgot to continue beating. Would she die, if it did? Did she even care?

'Amane-chan,' he said, reaching out for her hand.

Rei willingly surrendered it, feeling him brush his lips just gently over her knuckles. 'Lord Aizen,' she replied, feeling grateful that she was capable of speech at all.

'Please don't be so formal when we're alone,' he answered, releasing her hand, and Rei's breath caught in her throat at the last word of that sentence. 'It would make me happier if you were to call me Sousuke-san.'

'Then will you call me by my given name too?' she asked daringly.

Aizen inclined his head. 'Of course, Rei-chan.'

It was then that Rei remembered herself enough to pinch the skin on the back of her right hand, pulling and twisting at it. The brief spark of pain was enough to make her stop and think.

It was possible - no, probable - that Aizen had done this on purpose, to make her react this way. It wouldn't be hard for him to conveniently time coming out of the shower without a shirt on. Rei was irritated at herself. If that was the case, then she'd just acted like a swooning teenage girl in front of Aizen and played right into his hands.

_Listen to yourself, _rationality said, somewhere in the back of her mind. _You're being paranoid. It's not like he's _trying _to make you act this way around him. _

That might be so, but she could still stand to avoid making an idiot of herself in front of Aizen.

'Actually, my name isn't really Rei,' she said.

Aizen looked mildly surprised at that.

Rei went on to explain. 'That's just what my parents call me. My mother actually named me Renata when I was born, because she's British. But my father started calling me Rei for short. And because it sounds more Japanese.'

'Interesting. So which do you think of yourself as? Which do you prefer?' Aizen seemed genuinely curious.

'I suppose I think of myself as being a Rei. That's what I've been called my whole life. But -' Rei hesitated, wondering if it would sound stupid to him. 'I think Renata is prettier.'

'Shall we compromise?' Aizen suggested. 'In the presence of anyone else, I will address you as Amane or Rei. But when we are alone -' he reached out to brush a stray tendril of hair away from her cheek, 'you will be Renata.'

Rei felt her face flush warm, and was grateful that the light in his room was only dim. 'That - would make me happy, Sousuke-san,' she said.

Aizen settled on the couch next to her, and Rei tried not to notice that his knee was just touching her own. 'You must be thinking me very rude, Renata-chan,' he said. 'You have told me so much about yourself, while you know very little about me.'

_I know more than you think I do, _Rei thought to herself. 'I would never think you rude, Aizen-sama - I mean Sousuke-san.'

'Didn't you ever wonder how I came to be here?' he asked her.

'Of course, Sousuke-san. But I thought that if you wanted me to know, then you'd tell me. I didn't want to pry.'

Aizen straightened next to her, and Rei breathed him in again. _Cinnamon, _she realised. _But it's something else as well. _She could smell his _skin, _warm and still damp from the shower.

'May I offer you tea?' he asked, the perfect gentleman as always.

Rei nodded. 'Yes please, Sousuke-san.'

Aizen left the room, during which time Rei tried to collect her thoughts. Pinching seemed to work. If she felt herself getting confused, or forgetting to keep control of herself, she had to pinch.

Part of her wondered why she couldn't just relax, enjoy being with Aizen. _No, _Rei told herself. _This isn't some kind of a - _date, _or something. He's older than me. No matter how attractive he is, he's older than me, and I hardly know him at all. _

Aizen had said that he'd existed as a spiritual entity for a long time. How long was long?

Longer than the age he looked? Did spirits age differently to humans?

Quite probably.

Aizen came back in, carrying two teacups. He placed his on the stand near the couch, and turned to Rei, lowering hers carefully into her cupped hands. His own hands brushed hers, steadying the cup for just a moment before he sat down beside her again.

To avoid noticing the warmth of his fingertips, Rei wondered whether or not it would be rude of her to ask Aizen his age.

'Are you comfortable?' he asked her.

Rei nodded again. 'Thank you, Sousuke-san.' The nausea in the pit of her stomach was almost entirely gone.

'What would you like to know about me?' he asked.

Rei thought. _What about the reason for you so kindly looking after me? _she thought. _What about the reason you have for wanting me to stay? Will you tell me what sort of person you really are?_

'Where did you live, before you came here?' she said.

'I don't suppose you've heard of a place called Seireitei,' he replied, amusement subtly altering his features.

'Jaggerjack-san mentioned it. Only in passing, though. He was…being sarcastic.' Rei lowered her lips to the rim of her tea cup.

Aizen chuckled. 'Grimmjow does tend to do that. Seireitei is inside a place called Soul Society. I'm sure you know of the idea that after humans die, they go to heaven or hell?'

Rei remembered reading the English translation of Dante's _Inferno _and smiled. 'Yes.'

'It's rather a crude analogy, but think of Soul Society as being the equivalent to heaven. Souls which are supposedly pure of heart reside there after death.' Aizen paused. 'Continuing with the analogy, Hueco Mundo is equivalent to hell.' He smiled apologetically.

'So souls which aren't - pure of heart - come here after they die?' Rei clarified.

'Supposedly.' Aizen glanced at her. 'According to what I've seen in Soul Society, it really seems to depend on what your definition of a good person is.' He made a face.

'Is that why you left?' Rei asked.

'Why did you leave the human world, Renata-chan?'

Rei chewed her lip, trying to think of all the reasons. There had been so many, and now they crowded her head, all trying to make their way onto her tongue. 'I was very lonely,' she admitted. 'I think I've spent most of my life alone. But it wasn't really the being alone that I minded. What I minded was not being able to choose to be alone. It was forced on me.' Rei looked at Aizen, reasoning that there was no harm in letting him know. 'When I was little, I dreamt about flying. Even then, I just wanted all the restrictions to go away.'

'You felt limited,' Aizen prompted.

Rei nodded vigorously. 'Yes. That's it exactly. I was limited to being a tiny fraction of a person. I wanted to be more than that, and so here I am.' She spread her hands out, letting the tea cup rest in her lap.

'Your reasons for leaving your world - are very similar to my reasons for leaving Seireitei. I know how it feels to wish to be more than you are.' There was understanding in Aizen's face, sympathy even. It was harder for Rei to block that out than kindness, somehow. 'I hope I can be of some help to you, Renata-chan, even if I don't fully understand your power.'

'You've already helped me so much, Sousuke-san. And Jaggerjack-san says he will help me learn to defend myself.' Rei finished her tea.

Aizen nodded at that. 'Yes, he told me. Will that suit you? Would you feel comfortable with Grimmjow? He can be - difficult - to get along with.'

Rei looked down. 'I don't think he likes me very much.' That elicited a laugh from Aizen. 'I think he's that way to everybody, though,' she added, feeling a little guilty for talking about the Sexta Espada behind his back.

A yawn tugged at the corner of her mouth and Rei forgot to hold it in. 'Are you tired, Renata-chan?' Aizen's voice was hardly conducive to staying awake. The lovely cadence of it tried to rock her to sleep, a lullaby spoken rather than sung.

'A little,' Rei admitted, sitting up straighter on the couch.

'Then please allow me to escort you to your room,' Aizen offered.

Rei nodded, and Aizen stood, taking her arm as she followed his lead. As they walked, she blinked a couple of times, trying to keep herself alert. She was enjoying his closeness far too much. She was in danger of letting her guard down, and she tried to tell herself that that mattered.

There was no way of pinching herself inconspicuously while Aizen had her arm. Rei had to try to hold herself together. She counted in her head, rather forcefully.

They paused outside her bedroom door, and Rei turned to face Aizen as he released her arm, expecting him to kiss her hand as he usually did.

'Goodnight, Renata-chan,' Aizen said, his voice soft as if he didn't want to wake her from the sleep she had already begun segueing into. He moved forwards, his lips brushing her cheek.

Just like that, Rei was awake. It was a perfectly chaste kiss, a goodbye kiss, a friends' kiss, rationality tried to say. But her skin told her otherwise. It tingled, and she could feel herself melting into softness on the inside.

'Goodnight, Sousuke-kun,' she murmured, after he'd moved away out of earshot. As she moved into her room, she half-glimpsed two white silhouettes. They looked female, and their stances were casual but somehow vaguely menacing. Rei blinked, smiling dopily, and closed the door behind her, collapsing on her bed.

If she was in danger, she was beyond caring.

* * *

I'm pretty sure anyone who watches Bleach knows this already. But just in case, I'll explain the significance of the change of honorific at the end there.

-_sama: _Very formal, for someone who commands great respect. Usually used for people of great importance.

_-san: _A polite way to address someone. This one is more generic, and pretty much translates to Mr./Mrs./Miss.

-_kun: _Informal endearment, usually used for boys and men to express familiarity.

Hence why Rei didn't address Aizen as Sousuke-kun until after he could no longer hear her.

Holy crap. I nearly made myself swoon when I wrote the Shirtless! Aizen bit. If Shirtless! Aizen was a Yu-Gi-Oh card, it would do over 9000 damage. And it would make Obelisk the Tormentor cry in a corner with the Blue Eyes White Dragon.

Aizen in any situation is over 9000.

This chapter is kinda long. Took me a while to write it. At least Rei got out of this one happy O_o


	20. Practical Instruction

Because Loli and Menoly dress like teenage hookers. You know it's true.

And I am feeling much, much better - thank you, wonderful people who wrote me reviews.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 20

Practical Instruction

_

* * *

When she embraces your heart turns to stone_

_She comes at night when you're all alone_

_And when she whispers, your blood shall run cold_

_You'd better hide before she finds you._

**-Ice Queen, Within Temptation**

Someone was knocking at Rei's door, impatiently and insistently.

Rei levered herself out of bed, blinking slowly. She felt numb, still more than half-asleep.

'I'm coming, Jaggerjack-san,' she called out. Looking down, Rei realised with embarrassment that she'd fallen asleep fully dressed. She supposed it couldn't be helped. She had been rather preoccupied last night.

The smile crept across her face again, and she felt warmth flood through her from head to toe. She'd stored the memory in a secret place, a treasure box buried deep in her head. Taking it out now, she could still see the lustre of it. It was untouched in every detail.

It had been a platonic kiss. Rei had to acknowledge that, even though a stupid part of her mind wanted to believe otherwise. Aizen had merely wanted to wish her goodnight.

That didn't stop Rei from remembering her arm linked in his, running her fingers through her re-imagined sensation of his lips on her cheek as if the memory were made of silk.

_He's manipulating you, _she thought to herself. _Can't you see that?_

Everything was cloudy now. Rei was finding it harder to remain aloof, and she knew with her bizarre certainty that that was exactly the way Aizen wanted it to be.

The person on the other side of her bedroom door knocked again, although this time it was more of a bashing than a knocking.

_Definitely Grimmjow, _Rei thought, smiling. She could deal with Grimmjow. Grimmjow was easier to be around than Aizen.

She straightened herself, neatening her dress as much as was possible, and opened the door.

She was met with the sight of two girls who looked to be about her own age, maybe a little older. One had dark hair in ponytails, a fragment of a skull-like mask covering one eye. The other iris shone an improbable magenta. Her outfit was much more revealing than Rei's own, exposing the pale skin of her midriff and sternum.

The other girl had green eyes, a skull fragment on the top of her head, and hair a few shades darker than Amane Julia's blonde. Both girls sported the strange circular holes identifying them as Arrancar.

And even through Rei's inexperienced eyes, both of them looked undeniably pissed off.

'You're not Grimmjow,' she said. It was all she could think of to say.

The girl with the ponytails laughed. 'Menoly,' she said, addressing the green-eyed girl. 'Looks like she's figured out our game.'

'I guess Aizen-sama's human is smarter than she looks,' Menoly replied, looking Rei up and down and finishing with a scowl of distaste. 'What do you think gave us away, Loli?'

'Maybe if we'd dyed our hair blue, it would've been more convincing.'

Rei bristled. As much as she should have been used to people talking down to her by now - she'd certainly put up with enough of it from her mother - she still hadn't gotten the knack of dealing with it gracefully. And neither of her parents had ever insulted her intelligence.

She pulled the door to her room shut behind her, closing it none too gently.

Loli's eyebrows raised. 'Hey, what gives, Amane-chan?' She said Rei's name in a sing-song voice, lightly mocking. 'I thought we were going into your room.'

'I didn't invite you in.' Rei heard the unsteadiness in her voice, and mentally winced.

'Oh, she didn't invite us in, did she?' Menoly flicked her eyes towards Loli. 'How rude of us.'

'We should have told you straight away.' Loli put a hand on Rei's shoulder. 'We have some business we'd like to discuss with you, Amane-chan.'

Rei recoiled, shoving the Arrancar girl away. 'Don't touch me,' she muttered, letting her revulsion show in her voice. 'I've got nothing to discuss with you.'

Loli pushed her arm forward, taking hold of Rei's shoulder again in a grip that was surprisingly strong. 'Is that so, Amane-chan?' she hissed, digging in her nails.

Rei forced herself not to flinch. It would probably just make the girl try harder to hurt her, she knew, but she couldn't stand the idea of showing pain in front of these -

'Don't _touch _me,' she snapped.

'I'm sorry, Amane-chan.' Loli let go. 'I didn't know that you didn't like to be touched.' She glared at Rei with her one exposed eye. 'It certainly didn't look that way last night.'

'Last night?' Rei stared at the two Arrancar. 'What -'

'Don't pretend all innocent, like you don't know!' Loli's face was contorted with rage. 'You had your hands all over Aizen-sama, you bitch!'

Rei could see where this was going. These two were physically stronger than her. They'd made that much clear. And they were going to hurt her, maybe badly, but certainly not anywhere visible. They had to know that she was under Aizen's protection, if they knew that he'd kissed her on the cheek the night before.

Rei had no way of defending herself. She thought of screaming for help, of somehow signalling with her reiatsu. Surely someone would notice - Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, even Tousen or Ichimaru.

Then she realised what the implications of such an action would be. These girls - and probably other Arrancar as well - would laugh at Rei behind their hands, at how weak and pathetic she was.

Rei remembered telling Grimmjow she wanted to become stronger. Her hands curled into fists. If she wanted to become stronger, she had to _be_ stronger. No one could teach that to her.

She pushed at the spirit particles around her, silently gathering them into the simple formation she wanted. She couldn't make the same mistake she'd made with the Demi-Hollow - waiting until the last minute to form her defence. There was no way she could work that quickly. She needed to have the spirit particles ready to fall into place when she needed them.

'Oh, so that's how it is,' Rei replied, stalling for time. 'You think I have my eyes on Aizen-sama.'

'_Think_? It's so obvious that you _do_!' Menoly snarled. 'What did you do to him, to make him…_kiss _you? As if someone like Aizen-sama would ever look twice at someone like you!'

'I know perfectly well that Aizen-sama and I have a platonic relationship, and nothing more,' Rei replied levelly. 'Which is more than I can say for the two of you.'

'Watch what you say, human bitch.' Loli's voice was dangerously calm.

'I can say whatever I want, because I know you won't dare to hurt me. It'll make your precious Aizen-sama angry, won't it?' Rei paused for effect. 'And you can't have that. It'll ruin your chances with him. Which are non-existent to begin with. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that Aizen-sama's got better taste than _that_.' She pointed at Loli's outfit, hoping that the two Arrancar hadn't noticed the slightly oily silver sheen taken on by the air around her.

'Shall I show her my Cero?' Menoly's voice was distinctly cold.

'This slut isn't worth a Cero!' Loli shrieked, pulling her arm back.

As the slap neared her face, Rei gave the spirit particles around her the last shove they needed to form into a solid.

When Loli's hand caught in the transparent mass around her, causing a gelatinous ripple, Rei realised she hadn't done it quite right. Loli fell back, disgust twisting her features. The stuff clung to her hand, pulling away in a viscous rope. The consistency reminded Rei of jelly that hadn't quite set.

She pushed harder, realising the sphere she'd created was in danger of collapsing on top of her. The spirit particles solidified further into the glassy, icelike form they'd taken into the Garganta. Rei hardened the surface as she had with the mirror in her room, and she was done. The bubble-like shield was about ten centimetres thick, impervious - or so Rei hoped - to any attacks the Arrancar could use on her.

The slimy stuff had fallen away from Loli's hand to glow an odd luminescent blue on the floor. The Arrancar girl raised a fist, striking Rei's shield. Rei heard the dim, hollow noise as it bounced off.

'Come out and fight!' Menoly snapped.

Rei folded her arms. 'Am I worth a Cero now?' she asked, speaking more loudly than normal to make sure they heard her.

A ball of scarlet light formed in the palm of Loli's right hand, and Rei wished for a moment that she could take back her previous words. She had no idea if the thickened walls of her bubble could stand up to that thing Grimmjow had done to the Hollow.

Although Grimmjow had been an Espada, and these girls certainly weren't on the same level as him. _Stupid, _Rei thought. _They're Arrancar, and you're just a human. _You're _not on the same level as _them.

She pushed the spirit particles that made up the sphere together as hard as she could, and waited.

Red filled her vision. It roared past her, overwhelming her retinas, and Rei thought it was going to consume her. Then she realised it was parting around her bubble, leaving a stream of empty air in its wake.

The Cero disappeared. It could only have lasted a few seconds at most, but to Rei it had felt like much longer.

Menoly was staring at Loli, looking horrified. 'What were you thinking? That was a full-strength Cero! You could have killed her!'

Loli folded her arms. 'I didn't. What's the problem?' Her one exposed eye met both of Rei's. The magenta iris gleamed with unrestrained malice. 'We both know Aizen-sama has no time for the weak. We'd be doing him a favour if we finished her off.'

Rei stared back, unwilling to back down. 'Go ahead and try,' she said, feeling braver. 'If that Cero thing is the best you can do, you're not going to succeed. I can sit here inside this all day.' She gestured at the bubble. Apart from a wide scorch mark on the surface, partially obscuring her view of the two Arrancar girls, it was untouched. 'I don't know if you have a whole day's worth of those things in you.'

'As far as _I _know, she doesn't.' The voice came from behind her, male and familiar. Rei turned, and was greeted with the sight of pink hair and glasses.

The Octava Espada smiled his unsettling smile, but it wasn't directed at Rei. He was looking straight at Loli and Menoly.

* * *

I haz Chemistry exam soon, which I should be studying for. Oh well. Hueco Mundo wins over Chemistry exams.


	21. Unexpected Saviour

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 21

Unexpected Saviour

_

* * *

Leave all behind now to watch her crawl_

_Through our dark gardens of insanity_

_She'll be the light to guide you back home_

_Just give her a kiss worth dying for_

_And open your arms. _

**-Venus Doom, H.I.M.**

He'd seen the whole thing.

Of course, Szayel's first instinct hadn't been to come and rescue Amane Rei when he'd seen Loli and Menoly accost her on screen. He knew - or so he thought - that no matter how much they personally disliked her, no Arrancar would dare to harm a hair on the human's head. Besides that, Szayel had wanted to see how it would play out. Like everyone else in Hueco Mundo, including Aizen, he knew very little about the girl. He knew what her body looked like on the inside, and that was about it.

He'd wanted to see the girl's reaction to the situation, which hadn't been staged like the 'fight' with the Demi-Hollow. Szayel had actually been the one to suggest that idea to Aizen, and from the Octava's point of view, it hadn't been much of a success. He'd set the video feed to record, hoping it would turn up something useful.

But then Loli had fired a Cero point-blank at Amane. That wasn't something it was possible to do without either intent to kill, or blind stupidity. Szayel strongly suspected it had been the latter.

Even if stupidity was emotionally provoked - and he could tell it had been by the flush in Loli's cheeks, the tightening of her fists and the white sheen on her knuckles when she looked at Amane - it was still stupidity.

As a scientist, intelligence and information were the things Szayel prized above all others. Stupidity was a violation of intellect, and as such it personally offended him, disgusted him even. And stupidity with emotion involved -

Emotion was pointless, and only served as an inhibitor. Szayel shared that philosophy with Lord Aizen.

He allowed a steady measure of disdain to show in his face as he surveyed Loli, and to a lesser extent Menoly.

'It's common knowledge that any Arrancar - even an Espada - can only fire so many Cero before his or her spiritual energy is depleted.' Szayel pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with one gloved finger. 'I'm surprised you hadn't realised yet. Thought you had an infinite supply, did you? Apparently you need to be told that you can't hide fifty or so Cero up your sleeve like so many cheap card tricks, Fracción.'

Loli reddened further. 'Szayel.' Her mouth twisted as she said his name.

'You're speaking as if you're awfully familiar with me. Have you forgotten that I'm an Espada?' Szayel let his fingers rest on Fornicaràs' hilt delicately, watching the Arrancar's eyes bulge as he did it. 'Do I have to refresh your memory, Fracción?'

'No, Szayel-sama.' Menoly stepped forward, shooting Loli a hard look as she did so. 'We don't want any trouble.'

'It seems you're unaware of something else that I thought was common knowledge,' Szayel continued, ignoring her. 'You've already gotten yourself into trouble by allowing me to see this.'

'What do you mean?' Loli's eyes were still wide. 'You've seen n-nothing!'

'Really? I think the cameras I installed here on Lord Aizen's orders would beg to differ.' Szayel watched the girl's face go a deathly white, and smiled in amusement. 'I have the recording in my personal rooms. I'm sure he'll want to see it. After all, he'll probably be curious once I tell him that the two of you looked suspiciously like you were harassing Miss Amane.' He glanced at the human girl. She was still standing tense inside her spherical shield. Obviously his arrival had done nothing to relax her.

'What do you want from us?' Menoly looked panicky. 'We'll do whatever you want.'

'Bribery?' Szayel looked down at her through the lenses of his glasses, watching her squirm. 'You can offer _me _whatever you like to try and buy my silence, although I doubt it will work. But what can you offer Miss Amane?'

'They don't need to offer me anything.'

Szayel looked at Amane, who stared back at him. He had no idea what she was thinking, and that set him on edge.

'I don't want Aizen-sama to have to worry about me. He has more important things to concern himself with.' The human paused. 'That is my decision. Whether or not you choose to tell Aizen-sama is up to you, Szayel-san.'

Szayel hid his astonishment. 'Then it seems the two of you have only me to convince,' he said, turning back to Loli and Menoly. 'I'll tell you something for nothing. You're free to enter my rooms and take the recording, since you want it so badly.'

The emotion in Loli's face changed rapidly from relief to suspicion. 'I don't believe you.'

'Really? That's a shame.' Szayel allowed himself to smile suggestively at her. 'It's quite easy to find. It's sitting on my bed. Take the recording, and it's yours. All you need to do after that is keep me occupied somehow…'

Both Loli and Menoly's faces showed twin expressions of disgust. Szayel guessed they'd filled in the blanks.

'_Ew,_' Loli spat.

'It's not like we have a choice,' Menoly muttered, taking Loli by the arm and pulling her away in the direction of the Octava's palace.

Once they'd gone, Szayel looked at Amane again. 'You can release your shield, you know.'

Her eyes flashed at him, silver and mistrusting, but the shield gradually dissipated, spirit particles merging with the air.

'What reason could you have for wanting to protect the likes of them?' he asked. 'They won't thank you for it.'

'You shouldn't have come here, Szayel-san,' she replied, ignoring his question.

Szayel adjusted his glasses. 'May I ask why not?'

'Those girls will just try and pick on me again. They'll think I can't defend myself.' Amane looked away. Szayel could see what was going on behind her face this time. 'I appreciate that you helped me, but I would have preferred to handle it alone.'

'Handle it alone?' Szayel scoffed. 'You were bluffing. You couldn't have kept up that shield all day.'

'I know that!' For the first time since he'd seen her, Amane looked angry, and impatient with it. 'I've spent my whole life being told I can't take care of myself. I'm sick of being shut away in an ivory tower!' She fell silent, and looked ashamed again. 'I'm sorry, Szayel-san. I didn't mean to be rude.'

Szayel waved her apology aside. 'You're incorrect.'

Amane looked puzzled. 'What do you mean?'

'They won't try to attack you again. Even those two, with their limited mental capacity, should be able to recognise a lost cause when they see it.' Szayel folded his arms.

'I'm not stupid, Szayel-san.' Amane's voice was soft, her eyes no longer meeting his. 'I know you don't think much of me. And I know they won't do me any favours for not telling Aizen-sama what they did to me. What I said was the truth. I don't want Aizen-sama to think he needs to watch over me.'

_But he does, _Szayel thought. _Lord Aizen watches over everyone. And you're no exception. _

'I suppose that pride of yours is admirable in its own way,' he replied. 'But there's a fine line between pride and stupidity. You'd do well to remember that. Now if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to.'

'Szayel-san?' The girl's hesitant voice made the Octava Espada stop, even as he'd half-turned away from her.

'What?' he said, feigning impatience.

'You said you have cameras installed along this corridor.'

'There's none in your room itself, if that's why you're asking. I have no interest in invading your privacy.' That in itself was a lie, but Aizen had chosen to allow the girl the luxury of a room - and bathroom - without surveillance.

'No. I just wanted to know if you saw Aizen-sama walking me back to my room last night.' The girl blushed.

Of course he had. Szayel wasn't one to pass up an opportunity to spy on any of Las Noches' inhabitants. He knew all about the seemingly friendly kiss Lord Aizen had planted on the girl's cheek. Although he wasn't privy to Aizen's plans for the girl, Szayel could guess all too easily what his master was up to.

'Obviously, foolish girl.' Szayel paused. He was well aware that he was currently under the watchful eyes of his own cameras, and the Espada had long suspected that his surveillance system wasn't the only one set up throughout Las Noches. The Lord of Hueco Mundo wasn't a trusting man. He was unlikely to rely on Szayel's eyes and ears alone.

Szayel remembered the dissection table, the bloody loop of aorta protruding from Aizen's closed fist, the fingerprints on the door. If Aizen ordered her destruction, she was doomed, and Szayel would do well to keep clear of her.

'Aizen-sama doesn't suffer fools,' he said. 'Watch yourself, girl.' And with that, he walked away, silence ringing dully in his ears.

* * *

Holy crap. I think Szayel may actually have a heart underneath all the perviness and insanity.

Chemistry test was easy - a little too easy. That may be a bad sign. Oh well. What's done is done.


	22. Asymmetry

If the Espada were high school students, Grimmjow would totally beat up Szayel for being a creepy nerd. I don't know if anyone else has had that mental image.

Plus I have drawn Rei. The link is on my profile page.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 22

Asymmetry

_

* * *

_

You want it all

_The greatest smile_

_Who wants to live forever?_

_You're made of ice_

_I pay the price_

_For all your unforgiveness. _

**-Tight Rope, Lacuna Coil**

Grimmjow had grown to regret his impulsive offer even more now, if it was possible to do so.

He already knew, thanks to Aizen, that the girl's strange powers weren't suited to combat. And that wasn't the worst of it.

Amane stood in front of him, looking down at her shoes again. Grimmjow had brought her to one of the lower levels of Las Noches to begin her 'lesson'. It was obvious she'd never had any form of combat training, even in any of the flawed human hand-to-hand styles. It was going to be like teaching a baby.

Grimmjow wondered if it would be possible for him to renege on his promise. _Probably, _he thought to himself. At the very least, he could get away with giving the job to one of his Fracción. He could tell Aizen that Amane was better off learning from someone closer to her own level of ability. That was a valid argument. Aizen might even believe it.

Certainly, Grimmjow knew he wouldn't be punished for trying to get out of it. The other Espada were probably laughing at him behind his back by now. He'd been given enough crap about getting Ulquiorra's job as the woman's caretaker. Even that freak Szayel Aporro had dealt out more than his fair share of taunts. Aizen had to know that making a laughing stock out of one of his own Espada wasn't a smart move. It would cause lower Espada to forget their place at best, as the Octava seemingly already had, and cause dissent within the Arrancar at worst.

_If this keeps up it won't be long before freakin' Zommari decides to try and take my spot, _Grimmjow thought in discontentment. The ranks of the Espada had changed more than once over the years of Aizen's reign in Hueco Mundo, and it was no secret that lower-ranked Espada did anything they could do in order to move up.

It was common knowledge that Nnoitra had been the one to put the knife in Neliel Tu Oderschvank's back, and Grimmjow knew Szayel had helped put down the former Third Espada.

Grimmjow himself had challenged Nnoitra Jiruga for the place of Quinta twice before, and lost both times. Strangely enough, neither of them were particularly hung up over that. Nnoitra seemed to respect Grimmjow as being good for a fight, and Grimmjow returned the feeling. Besides, he was wary enough of Nnoitra Jiruga not to try and plot against him in order to take his rank by stealth. There was a reason Nnoitra had risen three places from Eighth to Fifth. Grimmjow had no desire to share Neliel's fate. And anyway, sneaking around wasn't his style.

He couldn't say the same for Zommari, though. Grimmjow had had the sneaking suspicion for a while now that Zommari Leroux wanted the rank of Sexta Espada for himself.

_Not fuckin' likely, _he thought. _Being the fastest of the Espada isn't going to save him if he tries to pull any shit over on me. And if Aporro tries to help him, I'll stick his glasses where the sun doesn't shine. _

Whatever else he had to say about Aizen, Grimmjow had to acknowledge that the Shinigami had his head screwed on straight. Aizen had to realise that making Grimmjow look like a fool in front of the other Espada wasn't a good idea. Surely if he really wanted to, it would be possible for Grimmjow to get out of teaching the human girl how to defend herself.

Strangely enough, he _didn't _really want to.

To him, the human was as good as useless. Grimmjow didn't even feel a Hollowlike desire to consume her soul. Her reiatsu was weaker than his, her reiryoku thin and insipid compared to his own. Sure, it was interesting that she'd managed to spark Aizen's interest and sidestep his attempts to control her. But that was _all _that was interesting about her.

Nevertheless, Grimmjow felt a vague distaste at the idea of leaving her instruction in the hands of a Numero. And there was a bad taste in his mouth at the thought of letting Szayel anywhere near Amane.

She was pathetic, in every way, shape and form. She hadn't even bothered to put up a fight when he'd first gone to collect her from the desert on Aizen's orders.

Then again, maybe that was why Grimmjow, for whatever reason, felt an uncertain sort of compulsion to protect the human.

No, that couldn't be it. Weakness had always repelled him. It was something which needed to be destroyed, not protected.

'What are you going to get me to do, Jaggerjack-san?' she asked him, looking up only briefly to meet his eyes.

'Stop it with that _Mister Jaggerjack_ crap,' Grimmjow said, brushing her question aside. 'No one calls me that. I'm Grimmjow, dumbass. Got it?'

'Okay, Grimmjow-san.' Amane inclined her head.

In truth, Grimmjow was a little taken aback at the deference the human always showed him. Those who were weaker than him sometimes railed against him, struggling blindly despite the gap in strength like that fool Kurosaki had. Occasionally they showed fear, running away or staying to plead for their lives. But this girl did neither.

_Maybe it's because she doesn't think of me as an enemy. _

'You got a Zanpakutou?' he asked her, silently telling his mind to shut the fuck up.

Amane shook her head. 'I don't know what that is.'

Grimmjow tapped Pantera's hilt. 'A _sword, _stupid.'

She looked up at that, eyes wide. 'No. How do I get one? If I ask Aizen-sama, will he give me one?'

'You really are a dumbass, aren't you?' Grimmjow rolled his eyes. 'No one gives you your Zanpakutou. You have to materialise it yourself. At least that's how it is for Shinigami.'

'But I'm not a Shinigami.' Amane paused. 'I assume a Shinigami is a type of spirit entity.'

A little surprised, Grimmjow nodded. 'Yeah. Lord Aizen - is a Shinigami.' The woman's cheeks coloured at Aizen's name.

'I'm just a human, though,' she said. 'Is it even possible for me to -' She paused. '_Materialise _a Zanpakutou?'

'Maybe.' Grimmjow looked at her. 'I can feel your reiatsu. Weaker people than you have materialised Zanpakutous.'

'How does it happen?' That familiar curiosity crept back into her face.

Grimmjow shrugged. _How am I supposed to explain it? I'm not that pink-haired science nerd, _he thought. He didn't want to admit that he didn't really know. 'It just does, when a Shinigami gets strong enough.'

The woman's brow wrinkled, and her eyes narrowed, as if she was thinking. Then her face relaxed, and she blushed again. 'Can I practise with yours?' she asked shyly, pointing at Pantera where it rested on his hip.

Grimmjow stared at her, feeling as if he'd been slapped in the face.

Mostly he was astounded at the sheer audacity of her request, and the innocent tone with which she'd phrased it. It was obvious she had no idea what she was asking.

No Arrancar, or Shinigami as far as Grimmjow knew, ever let someone else wield their Zanpakutou, _ever. _It just wasn't done. Sure, it was _possible _to remove your sword. It was _possible_ to hand it to another person, easy even. But no one who had a Zanpakutou ever did such a thing.

Grimmjow didn't know if it was the same for a Shinigami, but to him his sword was like part of his body, much more so than even his missing arm had been. Giving it to someone else, letting them wield it, giving them the power to inflict harm on his body with what was essentially his true self -

The very idea was unthinkable.

His thoughts must have shown in his face, because Amane looked startled. 'I'm sorry, Grimmjow-san,' she apologised, taking a step backwards. 'I guess you don't really let anyone else touch it. I shouldn't have asked.'

'It's not an _it._'

Amane blinked. 'I'm sorry?'

'My sword's got a name. All Zanpakutou do. This is Pantera.' Grimmjow unsheathed his blade, expecting to see fear in the woman's eyes. The curiosity in them remained untouched. 'You'll understand if you ever get your own.'

'You aren't going to kill me, are you?' Amane stayed where she was, even as the dim light in the room gleamed off the edge of Pantera's blade. Grimmjow's gaze momentarily met hers.

_Fuck. No wonder Aizen can't figure you out. _That was all Grimmjow managed to think.

Amane _was _Aizen. She had his eyes, bright and intelligent and somehow preoccupied, as if even now she was playing the same mental chess game he was. The difference in colour was trivial. Grimmjow was faced with the sudden disturbing thought that Aizen was inside this woman, looking out at him and reading his mind.

'No. You think I want to die, dumbass?' Grimmjow blinked, and realised he'd been wrong. This girl was smart, maybe as smart as Aizen if she'd managed to avoid being manipulated thus far. At the very least, she was a tough sell. But she wasn't Aizen.

The intelligence in her eyes, the mercurial movement of thought that he'd believed was unique to Aizen, was tempered by her youth and naïveté. She might be smart, but that could only take you so far in Las Noches. You had to have nerve as well.

'He'd have my head,' Grimmjow continued. The girl seemed to know who he was talking about, and nodded. Again he felt that odd compulsion, the alien desire to protect.

Maybe that was what swung Pantera in his hands, so that the blade was pointed towards him and the hilt towards her.

'What are you waiting for, a fuckin' mailed invitation?' he growled. 'Take it.'

Amane reached out, the fingers of her left hand hesitantly taking hold of the sword. 'It's lighter than I expected it to be,' she said, feeling the weight of it in her arm.

'You're holding it wrong, idiot,' Grimmjow snapped.

'What am I doing wrong?' she asked, adjusting her stance. 'This is how they do it in kendo. I saw it in a book.'

Grimmjow fought the urge to groan. 'You can't learn fighting from a _book,' _he said scornfully. 'You've got it in the wrong hand.'

Amane blinked. 'But I'm left-handed.'

Grimmjow pressed a hand to his forehead. 'Just fucking great,' he muttered. 'First she doesn't know what a _Zanpakutou _is, and then I find out she fights cack-handed.'

Amane giggled. The sound was so unexpected that Grimmjow looked around him to see where it was coming from before realising that he'd just been laughed at.

'What's so funny?' he snarled, turning back around to face her.

'You're not used to being a teacher, are you, Grimmjow-san?' she asked, covering her mouth with her hand.

Grimmjow paused, unsure as to how to respond. 'Damn straight,' he replied finally. 'When you see Mister Supervisor later, why don't you ask him if you can use _his _Zanpakutou? That'd be interesting to watch.'

Amane laughed again at that, passing Pantera back to him. Grimmjow took the sword, not without a feeling of relief.

'What _is _your Zanpakutou's name, Grimmjow-san?' she asked.

'Pantera,' he replied shortly.

Amane smiled at that, a childish innocent smile that had nothing of Aizen Sousuke in it. Then she reddened.

'Did you say I'll be seeing Aizen-sama later?'

Grimmjow nodded. 'He's gonna be teaching you Shinigami stuff.' He let a trace of disdain enter his voice at that.

'When did he want me to meet him?' Amane looked anxious. That made Grimmjow a little uneasy, for reasons he couldn't explain.

'I'll take you up there now. It's better not to keep Lord Aizen waiting.' Deciding to leave it at that, Grimmjow turned away, leading the woman in the direction of the stairs which would take them up to the higher levels of Las Noches.

If she was as smart as he thought, she'd figure out what Aizen was really like soon enough.

Then again, maybe she already had. That in itself was unique. Grimmjow realised that that was the thing he felt compelled to protect. She was Aizen's guest, and the Shinigami was trying to get her to blindly follow him as he had with all those fools in Seireitei.

At first glance Grimmjow, like everyone else in Las Noches, had taken Amane Rei for yet another fool. But she was much more than that. She was capable of resisting Aizen's silver tongue.

Grimmjow wondered what he would feel if Aizen tore her down to nothing. He realised, without too much surprise, that it would be a disappointment. He had never been the curious type, but he knew now that he was waiting to see how it would end.

Amane Rei couldn't slip out of the puppetmaster's fingers indefinitely. Sooner or later, she would belong to Aizen.

It was inevitable.

Nevertheless, Grimmjow knew that he'd be disappointed when that day came.


	23. Embrace

University holidays! I can sit at home, and chill out, and draw, and write. This is very good. I finished a picture of Byakuya for a deviantART competition a few days ago. That made me happy.

I am listening to the Bleach Beat Collections as I write this. My favourites would have to be Ulquiorra's and Grimmjow's. Both those two have pretty good singing voices. I think I have to say that Grimmjow's got the best voice of the lot. Whereas Renji really…can't sing. At all. He just kind of…yells.

But then I'm sure everyone either already knows that for themselves, or has figured it out.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 23

Embrace (The Spider and the Fly)

_

* * *

Bared on your tomb_

_I'm a prayer for your loneliness_

_And would you ever soon_

_Come above onto me?_

_For once upon a time_

_From the binds of your lowliness_

_I could always find_

_The right slot for your sacred key. _

**-Nymphetamine Fix, Cradle of Filth**

'Amane-chan.' Aizen greeted her formally, since Grimmjow was standing in the doorway.

'Thank you, Grimmjow,' he said, addressing the Sexta Espada. 'You may leave now.'

Grimmjow nodded, his face tense, and disappeared in a blur of Sonido. Aizen watched the Arrancar go, feeling himself smile. He supposed it was still too early to tell whether Grimmjow had formed any sort of a bond with the human. Part of the emotion in the blue-haired Arrancar's face had to have been Grimmjow's personal wariness of Aizen showing through.

Time would tell.

Aizen took the girl's hand, lowering his mouth to it in a kiss. 'How are you, Renata-chan?' he asked politely, seeing her cheeks colour.

'I am fine, thank you, Aizen-sama.' Her reply was as proper as his had been. Aizen could tell she'd put her guard back up.

'We discussed this, Renata-chan,' he said reprovingly. 'When we are alone, you are to call me Sousuke.' When her eyes met his own, he smiled. 'I insist.'

'Please forgive me, Sousuke-san,' she murmured, lowering her head. 'I…forgot.'

'That's quite all right,' he replied. 'You haven't been in Las Noches for very long, after all. How was your time with Grimmjow?'

Amane - Renata - smiled at that. 'I confused him, I think,' she said. 'He didn't like that I was left-handed.'

'I can see how that might make it difficult for him to teach you. I'm sure you noticed that Grimmjow is right-handed.'

'It's hard to miss.' Aizen heard the veiled challenge in her voice, and was a little surprised. She'd been so much more pliable the night before. When he'd kissed her on the cheek he'd been sure that she was that much closer to being his.

'I take it you are referring to his missing arm,' he answered.

Renata looked startled at that. 'I'm sorry. Of course it's your business what you do with your subordinates. It's not my place to say anything.' The expression on her face changed to one of embarrassment.

'Never say that, Renata-chan. It's important that you assert your opinions.' Aizen led her through his room, to the balcony which looked over the rest of Las Noches under its artificial blue sky. 'Although I must correct you. I would never be so heavy-handed as to punish one of my subordinates by cutting off his arm.' He let amusement show in his voice. 'I am not responsible for Grimmjow's injury.'

'I thought you were angry at him,' Renata replied hesitantly, her voice small.

'Of course not. What Grimmjow did was foolish, of course. He can be overzealous at times. But he believed he was doing the right thing. He was doing his best to serve me, and I couldn't punish him for that.' Aizen paused. 'He lost his arm in what was more of a - personal dispute.'

'Personal?'

Aizen nodded. 'In an ideal world, my subordinates would get along with each other.' He smiled ruefully. 'But Kaname dislikes Grimmjow. He believes Grimmjow lacks reason. There was an argument after Grimmjow's journey to your world, and Kaname-san lost his temper. It is unfortunate that Grimmjow lost his arm.'

'I wouldn't have thought Tousen-san could get angry enough to cut off somebody's arm,' Renata remarked. 'He seems very level-headed. From what I know of him, that is.'

'For the most part, he is.' Aizen allowed himself a sigh. 'Sadly, Grimmjow brings out the worst in him. Grimmjow has probably already told you, but today I am going to try and instruct you in the use of Shinigami techniques.' Aizen stood against the railing. 'The specific method of combat I am going to teach you to use is known as Kidou, or the art of spell casting.' He smiled at her again, at the look of wide-eyed wonder on the girl's face. 'It must be hard for you to believe that such a thing is possible.'

'I shouldn't be surprised by anything any more,' she replied, returning his smile. 'Will I be able to do it? Will this help me materialise a Zanpakutou?'

Aizen decided to give her the truth again. 'I doubt you will ever materialise a Zanpakutou,' he said. 'Do you remember me telling you that you are similar to a Quincy?'

Renata nodded, and Aizen could see that she was trying to hide disappointment. 'Quincies never materialise Zanpakutou,' he told her. 'But it may be possible for you to learn Kidou. Your ability concerns the manipulation of spirit matter, and Kidou involves the manipulation of one's own spiritual energy. Are you familiar with the principle that matter can be converted to energy, and vice versa?'

'Yes. It's the basis of nuclear physics in the human world.'

'Using the same reasoning, you may be capable of performing Kidou.' Aizen looked at her, seeing the disappointment in her face transform into excitement. 'Your reiryoku - spirit energy - is certainly strong enough.'

'What are you going to get me to try, Sousuke-san?' she asked.

'Kidou are divided into three types - healing, defense, and offense. I know already from Szayel that you are more than capable of defending yourself.' Aizen shot Renata a sideways glance, and saw her turn red.

'I didn't want him to tell you,' she started. 'No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tried to cover up what happened.'

'As an Espada, Szayel is duty-bound to report to me whenever he feels there is something I should know.'

'Please forgive me, Sousuke-san. I just didn't want -'

'There is nothing to forgive,' Aizen interrupted, touching her hand and letting his fingers stay there. 'You desire independence and want to take care of yourself. That is nothing to be ashamed of.'

'Did they get into trouble?' Renata asked.

'Loli and Menoly? Yes, I did reprimand them for their actions. You are my guest, Renata-chan, and anyone who raises a hand against you raises that hand against me.' Aizen rested his hand on top of her own on the balcony railing.

The girl's hands were small, much smaller than his, although her fingers were long like his own. Aizen traced the line of her knuckles with his thumb, and noticed again how thin and soft her skin was, the bluish tint of blood vessels in the join between palm and wrist drawing his eye. She had skin like a noble, white and sheltered and unaccustomed to work.

Aizen glanced up at her face. That dreamy look had returned to her eyes, blurring the lines of the sharp mind beneath. It was clear that she was beginning to give in to him, even if she herself thought otherwise.

'You shielded yourself, but did not try to attack,' he prompted. 'I found that interesting.'

Renata nodded just once, slowly. 'Yes. I didn't want to fight them. I was just protecting myself.'

'You must have known that two Arrancar would have eventually worn you down, even if they were only Numeros,' Aizen continued. 'Your defense is strong, but you lack the ability to drive off an enemy. So I thought it would be best for you to begin by learning Hadou - which are destruction Kidou.' He moved his hand away from her own. The crestfallen look on Renata's face at the gesture didn't escape his notice. 'Please excuse me for a moment.'

Aizen went inside, picking up the book from the table where he'd left it, and returned to Renata. He opened it up to the page he'd marked, and passed it to her.

Renata's eyes moved over the passage, and she read aloud. 'Hadou number thirty-one, Shakkahou.' She looked up at him, curious. 'What does the number mean?'

'The number given to a Kidou technique is an indicator of its difficulty, as well as its power,' Aizen told her. 'The highest-level Kidou is number ninety-nine. Shakkahou is relatively low-level. Most Shinigami learn it early on. Please read the incantation, Renata-chan.'

Renata swallowed. '_Ye lord, mask of blood and flesh. All creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man. Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south.' _

'That is the command you speak to use Shakkahou.' Aizen watched her. 'Obviously, the spell depends on willpower and concentration as well as the words. Would you like to try it?'

Renata nodded with enthusiasm. She placed the book at her feet, still open, and closed her eyes. Her reiatsu flickered. Aizen didn't bother to step back. Even a Shakkahou delivered from the hands of a captain-level Shinigami could do very little to him. He doubted anything this girl could produce would manage to leave a scratch.

He wondered why she'd closed her eyes. Had she really managed to memorise the incantation that quickly? Was she trying to impress him? Probably. Aizen wanted to laugh at that.

'_Ye lord!_' she intoned, raising her hands. '_Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man!_' One hand gripped the other wrist, in a reversed imitation of the illustration in the book.

Aizen had seen the technique performed by left-handed Shinigami before. Renata was doing the Kidou properly, thus far. All that remained to be seen was whether or not she produced a result.

'_Inferno and pandemonium!'_ Her voice grew louder. '_The sea barrier surges, march on to the south!'_

Her reiatsu flared, nudging Aizen's own. Her hand tensed, preparing for the shot of red fire.

It never came.

Renata opened her eyes, looking embarrassed again. 'It didn't work,' she said. 'What was I doing wrong?'

'Please allow me to assist you, Renata-chan,' Aizen offered, stepping forward. Apprehension flashed briefly in her eyes, dying away as he took her by the shoulders, positioning her back against his chest.

'Kidou requires you to have control over your reiatsu,' he explained, lowering his voice. 'You cast the spell correctly - with an impressive recollection of the incantation - but your reiatsu did not obey you. I will lend you my strength.'

Renata was warm against him, strands of her hair blowing towards him in the faint suggestion of a breeze. Aizen breathed her in, the smell of her hair, the smell of her self-awareness.

She was nervous. He could tell by the tension in her back, the rigid set of her hips and shoulders. On some level, she still mistrusted him, even if that mistrust was beginning to fade away.

He leaned forward, taking her wrists in his hands, positioning himself to match her in her stance. 'Please relax, Renata-chan,' he said, his lips almost touching her ear. 'You need not fear me. I wouldn't be so rude as to do anything untoward.' _Not even if you secretly want me to, _Aizen thought to himself in amusement.

'I'm not afraid,' she answered softly.

Aizen could see the pale trace of the jugular vein in her throat, a delicate violet like the beginning of a bruise. He thought of blood, bright and warm and still with life in it, staining his fingers as they tried to crush her heart.

_You should fear me, _he thought. _The fact that you don't leads me to suspect that you aren't as sharp as you think. _

Aizen had the sudden urge to press his lips against her neck, an experiment of sorts to see what her reaction might be. He realised that the impulse wasn't born of curiosity so much as desire, and smiled to himself where she was unable to see.

He desired this human girl. Even the resistance she still put up between them was arousing rather than frustrating now. The challenge she offered, the fascination of not being able to see her clearly, all added to it.

He would enjoy her. Yes, he would enjoy it when he finally tore all her strong defences away, and she was finally his.

'Shall we recite the incantation together?' he murmured, resting his chin on her shoulder like a lover.

She nodded, and their voices rose, speaking the words together, almost as if they were actors in a play. Which, in a way, they were.

'_Ye lord, mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man. Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges. March on to the south.'_

Red fire flared at their fingertips, shooting out into the painted blue sky, and Aizen waited a moment afterwards before he released Renata.

It was an illusion, like everything else he did. In reality, he wasn't letting her go. He was pulling the strands of his web tighter around her.

* * *

Wow. That turned out a bit kinkier than I thought it would. Aizen is thinking some very bad and naughty thoughts about Amane-chan.

Me: You're a paedophile, you know.

Aizen: No I'm not! I'm too awesome to be a paedophile!

Me: How old are you again?

Aizen: …Don't you know it's rude to ask somebody their age?

Me: Come on. We've all seen the Turn Back the Pendulum arc. You were in it, looking much the same as you do now, and that was 110 years ago. So you have to be _at least _200 years old.

Aizen: So?

Me: Rei-chan is sixteen.

Anyway…

I just realised how slowly this story is progressing. It seems I can't help but write long…if that makes sense. I haven't even gotten up to Grimmjow getting kicked out of the Espada yet, and I've already hit chapter 23.

Please don't lose patience with me. Pretty please?


	24. Mirror, Flower, Water, Moon

This chapter is dedicated to Gin's Arrancar Encyclopaedia, in a celebration of its recent return in the anime (I was so happy to see Gin and his projector screen again).

You know what else happens in this chapter?

GAAAAH I'm so excited but I can't say anything because everyone will kill me and feed my corpse to Internet trolls for spoiling the surprise and aarghaahhrkkfdlbleh…*gurgles on the floor*

Anyways, I'll shut up and let you enjoy the chapter. It is kind of long. But it's worth it. You'll see what I mean.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 24

Mirror, Flower, Water, Moon

_

* * *

Why don't you love me_

_Enough to stay with me?_

_Now, tell me truly_

_Was it there in your heart too?_

_All that I'm left with_

_Is a dream of me and you. _

**-For Amelie, Leaves' Eyes**

Rei rubbed her eyes. She probably should have gotten more sleep last night. It was silly to think that she could develop Kidou skills in the space of a few hours. On top of that, she wasn't entirely convinced it was a smart idea to practise energy spells within the confines of her room.

But she'd done it anyway. She had asked Aizen if she could borrow the book, and he'd let her.

_He'll probably change his mind if he learns I've been wearing myself out trying to learn them, _Rei thought ruefully.

She had made a few more unsuccessful attempts at Shakkahou, before realising that it might not be a good plan to try shooting fire from her hands indoors. So she'd flicked back through the pages of the book, trying to find a Hadou with a lower number.

The only problem was that all the Hadou seemed to be things she couldn't really try and do quietly indoors. Rei had been drawn to a fourth-level spell called Byakurai, which would apparently enable her to shoot lightning from her finger upon casting it. _I'll probably have to ask Grimmjow to take me outside Las Noches again if I want to practise any of these, _she'd thought dispiritedly.

So she'd gone back even further to the first of the Hadou spells, which according to the book was called Shou. It was supposed to push targets away from her when she used it. To her delight, Rei had managed to push her pillow across the room after four or five attempts. She'd begun to think that Aizen might have been wrong, and she wouldn't be able to do Kidou. It was a relief to find out that she was the one to be proven incorrect.

She'd practised Shou a few more times, then consulted the book again. She'd found another spell that had interested her last night, but she couldn't remember what it was called.

Rei dressed absentmindedly, reaching for the Kidou book where she'd left it next to her bed.

She turned the pages, moving from the low-level Hadou until she reached the back of the book. The illustration on the final page was of Hadou number 90, something called Kurohitsugi. _That can't have been it, _Rei thought. _I wouldn't be able to do that in a million years. _

She went backwards, flipping through the pages in reverse order and growing increasingly frustrated when she reached the end of the Hadou section and still hadn't found it. Then Rei remembered, and moved to the front of the book.

_Of course, _she thought. _It was a Bakudou, not a Hadou. _

Turning to partway through the section on Binding spells, Rei found the Kidou that had interested her almost immediately.

'Kyokko,' she read aloud.

From what Rei could tell, the spell did exactly what its name, _Curved Light, _suggested. It was basically an invisibility spell, which hid both the appearance and reiatsu of whatever it was used on by bending light.

It was obvious that Aizen was only choosing to show her one of what Rei suspected were many faces. If she wanted to know what he was really like and what he was really up to, she had to be around him when his mask was down. And since that was never going to happen while Aizen knew he was in her presence, the best way to figure him out would be by spying on him.

Part of her couldn't believe what she'd just thought. _He's been nothing but kind to me, _Rei thought. _It's underhanded to even think about spying on Sousuke. _

She caught herself at that.

His given name, which he'd insisted she address him by, had insinuated its way into her thoughts. Rei knew perfectly well what Aizen was trying to do by dispensing with formalities. He was trying to remove the barriers between them. And he'd managed to do that quite successfully yesterday.

Rei's face felt very warm. _Szayel's right, _she thought. She _did _need to watch herself. Aizen was doing his best to make her believe that it was safe to let her guard down around him. That alone made Rei wary of him, if nothing else. And she hadn't entirely bought his story about Tousen cutting off Grimmjow's arm.

Admittedly, she'd almost succumbed when he'd held her against him, casting Shakkahou with her. The only thing which had pulled her back from the brink was the cold metal pressing into her hip from behind.

The hilt and guard of Aizen Sousuke's Zanpakutou had made Rei remember herself and forget the warmth of his arms around her. She remembered Grimmjow's words, which had taken on a much more sinister cast in her head.

_Why don't you ask him if you can use _his _Zanpakutou? That'd be interesting to watch. _

Rei closed the Kidou book, placing it on her bed. She left her room, closing the door behind her.

Half of her thought she was being silly. She was free to come and go as she wished, after all. She was no prisoner. Aizen wasn't forcing her into doing anything. He was doing her a kindness. Essentially, she was a teenager who'd run away from home, and he'd taken her in.

_But I don't know his reasons, _she thought. _I don't know what he wants from me. _

It couldn't hurt to try and learn the invisibility Kidou. But it certainly wasn't something she could let Aizen find out about, or ask for his help with. He'd want to know why she was learning a Bakudou when he'd suggested Hadou.

In any case, it was numbered twenty-six. It would take her a while to learn, if she ever managed it at all.

Rei was so lost in thought that she almost walked into Ichimaru Gin, who'd somehow appeared in the middle of the corridor without her noticing.

She stumbled, righting herself. 'I'm sorry, Ichimaru-sama,' she apologised, looking away from the silver-haired man in embarrassment. 'I wasn't looking where I was going.'

'Ah, the fault's all mine, Amane-chan,' Ichimaru replied, a smile on his face as per usual. 'I shoulda warned ya I was comin' ta visit.'

'Visit?' Rei frowned, confused.

'Aizen-sama an' Grimmjow-san seem ta have taken a shine ter ya. They seemed ta be havin' so much fun teachin' ya, I thought I'd get in on the action as well.' Ichimaru's eyes, perpetually narrowed, gave nothing away.

'What did you want to teach me, Ichimaru-sama?' Rei asked, feeling a little apprehensive.

'Why, I'm going ta educate ya in the ways of Hueco Mundo, and the nature of spirits,' Ichimaru answered, his tone flippant. 'I even set up a special room fer ya.'

Rei blinked, a little taken aback. 'Really?'

'I'll show ya.' Ichimaru led her along a smaller corridor which branched off to the side, opening a door a short way down.

Rei went inside while he held the door open for her, staring in bewilderment. In all honesty, the room was the most surprising thing she'd seen since her arrival in Hueco Mundo.

'Whatcha think?' Ichimaru entered behind her, closing the door after him. 'I tried ta make it look just like one of the classrooms in the human world.'

Rei couldn't honestly say if Aizen's lieutenant had managed to achieve his aim. After all, she'd never been inside a school.

It certainly looked like the classrooms she'd seen in anime and manga. There was what looked like a projector screen at the front of the room, with a teacher's desk. A collapsible pointer rested on the desk. The only unusual thing, as far as Rei could tell, was the fact that there was only one student's chair and desk facing the screen. The rest of the room was rather conspicuously empty.

'I'm honoured that you went to all this trouble for me, Ichimaru-sama,' she said finally.

'Aw, yer makin' me embarrassed now.' Ichimaru didn't look ashamed of himself in the least. 'There ain't a lot to occupy me in Hueco Mundo, if ya know what I'm tryin' ter say.' His grin widened a little. 'Shall we begin yer first lesson?'

Rei nodded, a smile coming to her face despite her lingering surprise. She sat in the lone chair.

'Let's start with question time.' Ichimaru picked up the pointer. 'What would ya like to know?'

Rei thought. 'I'd like to learn about Zanpakutou,' she said.

'Okay, Amane-chan.' The projector screen flickered, seemingly without any help from her 'teacher.' Rei wondered briefly if Ichimaru had set it up to be reiatsu-activated. If it was, she couldn't tell. It was probably some sort of Kidou.

The picture stabilised, displaying a sheathed sword in the belt of an Arrancar uniform. 'This here's Grimmjow-san's Zanpakutou,' Ichimaru explained. 'I know you've already seen it.'

The fact that he knew about her training session with the Sexta Espada made Rei uneasy. She remembered how Aizen had said that Szayel had told him about her encounter with Loli and Menoly, and wondered for a moment how true that was. She knew already that Szayel had put cameras near, but not in, her room.

What was to stop Aizen, or Ichimaru for that matter, doing the same? For all Rei knew, Aizen had planted his own cameras in her bedroom without Szayel's knowledge.

There was a strong possibility that he knew all about her midnight Kidou training. There was even a chance that he'd seen her open the Kidou book at the page with Kyokko on it. It wouldn't be hard for him to figure out what she wanted an invisibility spell for.

It was highly possible, even probable, that Aizen had his eyes in her room. That meant he'd seen her sleep, eat, bathe, dress, undress -

Rei chewed her lip, her face reddening violently at the thought of Aizen seeing her naked.

'Both Arrancar and Shinigami have Zanpakutou,' Ichimaru continued. The picture on the screen changed to one of Aizen, Tousen and Ichimaru, zooming in on each of their sheathed Zanpakutou in turn. 'A Zanpakutou ain't just a sword, even though it takes the appearance of a blade.' Pantera appeared on the screen again, drawn instead of sheathed this time. 'A Zanpakutou is a piece of its wielder's reiatsu and soul, the strongest piece. It's got ter be strong. It's used fer fightin', after all. So each Zanpakutou's got powers and abilities unique ta its wielder in each of its two stages of release. Ya release a Zanpakutou inta its first stage - the Shikai - by calling out a command, followed by its name.' Ichimaru gestured to his own sword, fastened at his hip. 'My Zanpakutou goes by the name of Shinsou.'

'What does it do?' Rei asked, curious.

'Now, that'd be telling, wouldn't it?' The picture on the screen changed back to the shot of Ichimaru, Aizen and Tousen. 'Would ya like ta know the name of Aizen-sama's Zanpakutou?' Ichimaru offered, gesturing with the pointer at the sword at Aizen's waist.

Rei nodded. _Maybe I can work out what it does from its name, _she thought. _He said the abilities a sword has are unique to the person wielding it. Maybe Aizen's Zanpakutou's abilities will tell me something about Aizen. _

'It's got a real pretty name. I'm jealous, myself.' The picture zoomed in on the sheathed Zanpakutou. 'Kyouka Suigetsu,' Ichimaru said, drawing out the syllables in appreciation.

Rei frowned in annoyance. _Mirror Flower Water Moon, _she thought, irritated. _Trust Aizen's Zanpakutou to be as enigmatic as he is. Why couldn't it be called something more straightforward?_

The answer to that question was obvious. By Ichimaru's account, a Zanpakutou was a reflection of its owner's personality and strengths. And Aizen was anything but straightforward.

_Mind you, 'Shinsou' isn't exactly a straightforward name either, _Rei mused. '_Divine Spear'? That could mean anything. _

She didn't even bother asking what Kyouka Suigetsu's ability was. Even if Ichimaru did give her an answer, he'd probably be lying.

Her teacher yawned. 'Wow, I sure am hungry.' His eyes flickered open for a moment. 'I dunno 'bout you, Amane-chan, but I feel like getting somethin' ta eat.'

Rei realised, to her astonishment, that she _was _hungry. Apparently her secret Kidou practise had worn her out.

'Okay, Ichimaru-sama,' she replied, a little surprised at the sudden change of topic.

_You know why he stopped there, _a tiny cold voice in the back of her head said. _He didn't want you to know any more about Aizen's Kyouka Suigetsu. _

Rei stood up, leaving the room with Ichimaru. 'Where are we going?' she asked.

'Ter the kitchen, of course, Amane-chan.' Ichimaru turned back to face her with his smile. 'Sure, I could just get one of the Espada ta bring us somethin', but where's the fun in that? I feel like makin' brownies.'

Rei stared at him, dumbstruck. A few seconds later she had to fight the urge to giggle. Aizen's _lieutenant _wanted to make _brownies_, of all things.

They moved through Las Noches, eventually entering another room filled with shiny chrome appliances.

'We get all this stuff from the human world,' Ichimaru told her. 'Aizen-sama's got a bit of a weakness fer human food, 'specially chocolate.' He winked. 'Don't tell him I told ya that.'

'I won't,' Rei replied, intrigued. The idea of Aizen having likings for things, especially something relatively normal like chocolate, had never occurred to her.

That line of thinking was interrupted by the door swinging open behind her, and the arrival of a strong reiatsu. Rei wasn't too badly affected - she'd learnt to condition herself against the various overpowering spiritual pressures in Las Noches - but it still caught her by surprise.

The blue-haired Sexta Espada stood in the doorway, arms folded, looking angrier than usual. Grimmjow glared at Ichimaru. 'Do you _want _Aizen to get pissed off with me?'

Ichimaru spread out his hands. 'Of course not, Grimmjow-san. But ya know ya gotta refer to Aizen-sama by his title.'

Grimmjow scowled. 'That isn't important. You took her -' he paused, pointing at Rei, 'out of her room without asking me. I'm supposed to be watching her!'

'I'm sorry, Grimmjow-san. I left my room on my own and ran into Ichimaru-sama,' Rei apologised, knowing it wouldn't do any good.

'Did I ask for your input, dumbass?' he replied, cutting her off.

Ichimaru moved away from the irate Espada, opening a cupboard.

'What are you _doing_?' Grimmjow snapped. His reply was barely audible over the sound of the Shinigami throwing things into a metal mixing bowl. Rei giggled, and earned herself a glare from the Arrancar.

'We're makin' brownies, Grimmjow-san. I woulda thought it was obvious.' Ichimaru closed the cupboard, grinning. 'Wanna help?'

Rei laughed again at the stunned look on Grimmjow's face. 'What the fuck do _you _think?' he snarled.

'Please, Grimmjow-san?' she asked, hiding her smile with a hand. 'You should at least stay here to watch me.'

Grimmjow folded his arms, seeming to give in. 'Don't tell me what I should be doing, dumbass.'

Ichimaru had already started putting together the brownie mix. 'Can ya start the chocolate melting, Amane-chan?' he asked, pointing towards a saucepan sitting on the stove.

Rei nodded, turning the heat on. 'Just stir it every few seconds for me, will ya?' the Shinigami continued. 'I'm almost done mixin'.'

'This is a waste of time,' Grimmjow muttered.

'Don't tell me ya've got other things ta be doin', Grimmjow-san?' Ichimaru feigned innocence. 'If that's the case, then I gotta say I'm jealous. I can never find anythin' to do in Las Noches.'

'Ichimaru-sama has a point,' Rei added. 'If we weren't in here, what would we be doing all morning?'

'There's no such thing as morning in here.' Grimmjow gave her a condescending look. 'This is _Hueco Mundo._'

Rei found a spoon, and stirred the chocolate in the bottom of the pan. 'It's melted, Ichimaru-sama,' she called out.

'Thank ya kindly, Amane-chan.' Ichimaru took the pan from her, holding the handle delicately in his pale fingers. He stirred the chocolate into the brownie mixture, and poured the mixture into a tray. He tasted it with a finger. 'Want ta lick the bowl, Grimmjow-san?'

Grimmjow snorted.

Rei took the spoon Ichimaru had used to mix everything. 'It's good,' she said, licking it. 'Are you sure you don't want some, Grimmjow-san?'

Grimmjow narrowed his eyes at her. 'Fuck that shit.'

Rei moved towards the Sexta Espada, waving the spoon in his direction. What she was doing was childish, she knew. But she couldn't stop herself.

'Chase him 'round the kitchen, Amane-chan,' Ichimaru encouraged.

'Go ahead, human. Do it if you want to die.'

Rei lunged forward with the spoon, laughing, and Grimmjow moved aside in a Sonido.

'I'm sorry, Amane-chan.' The voice, warm and familiar, sent hot electric tingles down Rei's back. 'I'm afraid Grimmjow will win against you in a contest of speed.'

'Aizen-sama,' Rei blurted out, startled. The spoon fell on the chrome surface of the kitchen table, forgotten.

Aizen moved into the room. His eyes fell on her, and he smiled. Rei wanted to look away, but couldn't. It was like staring directly into the sun.

'I apologise if I startled you,' he said.

'Not at all, Aizen-sama.' Rei inclined her head, feeling blood come to her face. _Why do I blush like an idiot whenever I see him? _she thought. Unbidden, the memory of his body against hers, their voices speaking the incantation together, returned. Rei shook her head, trying to clear it.

_Resist him, _she thought firmly, pinching the back of her right hand. _You can do it. It's not that hard. _

Aizen took a step towards her, and Rei fought to keep her resolve. 'I see you're having fun,' he said. 'It's good to see you doing something in your spare time, especially since you spent yesterday training.'

Rei nodded vacantly. _Think of something to say, _she thought to herself. 'It's nice to have a few moments for myself,' she said. 'In the human world I used to write music in my spare time.'

'Really?' Aizen moved closer. 'That's fascinating.' His eyes moved down to her mouth, and Rei swallowed, her pulse escalating.

He reached out to touch her face, moving his finger over her lower lip. Part of Rei wanted to ask him what he was doing. The rest of her was incapable of coherent thought.

She saw chocolate on his finger when his hand moved away, and blushed with embarrassment. She'd had food on her face, in front of _Aizen. _'I'm -' she started to say. The words died in her mouth when she saw Aizen lick the chocolate off his finger, his eyes never leaving her face. Involuntarily, her gaze shifted to his mouth, and again she tried to look away and failed.

His other hand moved around her waist to hover lightly on the small of her back, and Rei realised how close he was. The space between them was decreasing. Aizen was close enough to pull her into his arms as he had yesterday.

Then he leant down, his lips touching hers.

The voice in the back of her head wailed thinly in despair, drowning in Sousuke's kiss, her _first _kiss. It tried to tell her that he was much older than her, that he was blatantly manipulating her, that she was in front of Grimmjow and Ichimaru and she should be feeling self-conscious.

But she heard the appreciative noise in the back of his throat, and Rei's insides were liquid, her head lighter than air. All the blood in her body had moved to her lips. He moved away a little, kissed her again, and finally stepped back.

He smiled, and she saw the hint of darkness in that smile, the other Aizen Sousuke. His hand remained on her back, waiting a moment before falling away.

'I would very much like to listen to your compositions,' he murmured. 'Perhaps you could be persuaded to write a song for me.'

Rei nodded. Her vocal chords were paralysed.

Aizen leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. 'I look forward to hearing it,' he said, leaving the kitchen.

Rei was unable to move. The light-hearted childish joy which had filled her just a moment before had dissolved away.

Ichimaru was leaning against the kitchen counter, whistling as if nothing had happened. And Grimmjow -

Grimmjow's face was unreadable.

Rei suddenly felt very, very confused.

* * *

I think I just killed myself with the hawtness.

*pulse flatlines*

I _did _need something to wash the sight of Tousen's released form out of my head. That thing…is just icky. And he says _Komamura _is ugly. Gin is right, he shouldn't go back to Las Noches looking like that.


	25. The Inquisition

GRAAAAARGH I lost my USB.

*gouges self with spoon*

Fuck. I hate life. Also, I have been trying to track down an Aizen plushie. Dawwww he's so cute. But apparently they're hard to find in Canberra. Hmm, may have to resort to buying one online.

I am so, so, so jealous of Rei after last chapter (even though I wrote it…fail). Wish I was as lucky as her - strange socially awkward men keep hitting on me at the pharmacy where I work on weekends. After they tell me all about their ingrown toenails and that rash that won't go away. (Not cool.)

To men who frequent pharmacies: although I am in the market for a significant other, those of you who are not Aizen Sousuke in his incredibly sexy gigai need not apply. Why are all hawt men only in anime and manga?

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 25

The Inquisition (Constraining Circle: The Dance Begins)

_

* * *

Something's tearing me down, and down_

_Can't help but feel it's coming from you_

…

_I just wonder what we've gotten ourselves into_

…

_Mind is willing, soul remains_

_This woman cannot be saved_

_From the drawn into the fire. _

**-Propane Nightmares, Pendulum**

It felt as though something was crawling under Grimmjow's skin, trying to spark him into doing something he'd regret.

Much to his surprise, Grimmjow discovered that the thing clawing at the back of his head was an active resentment of Aizen Sousuke.

For the most part, he tolerated the Shinigami. It was only occasionally that the necessity of obeying Aizen weighed down on Grimmjow. Even then, that feeling was short-lived, appearing only briefly at times, like when he was assigned to a particularly menial task.

But now…Something remarkably akin to anger was bubbling sullenly in Grimmjow's chest. Watching Ichimaru Gin, who had apparently decided to pretend nothing had happened, only increased the pressure inside him.

Grimmjow came to two realisations.

Firstly, he was pissed off.

And secondly, he wanted to hit Aizen, hopefully until the Shinigami's teeth came out of his fucked-up head.

Grimmjow couldn't stand there in the kitchen, couldn't pretend that everything was business as usual. Most of all, he couldn't stomach looking at Amane's face any longer.

Her eyes were wide like a bewildered six-year-old's, confused and too young to understand. _Too young for you, Aizen, _Grimmjow thought, leaving the room.

That confused him, momentarily setting him off balance. Where had that thought come from?

It had been the sight of Aizen - _kissing_ - Amane that had made Grimmjow angry. Pretending otherwise would be a pointless waste of time. But why? Why had the complacent smile of ownership, of _possession, _on Aizen's face made Grimmjow want to tear out the Shinigami's innards?

Technically, Amane _was _too young for Aizen, even taking the age difference to physical appearances alone. Grimmjow knew enough about human society to know that there, at least, any relationship between the two would be considered inappropriate - and that was the best-case scenario.

In human years, Aizen appeared to be around the mid-twenties mark, where Amane was still a child by anyone's standards. But Grimmjow, as well as everyone else in Las Noches, knew the truth. The age difference between the Shinigami and the human wasn't measurable in one, or even two, digits.

But he was bullshitting himself if he thought that was all it was. Ordinarily, if Aizen had wanted to get it on with some girl less than half his age, Grimmjow would've been the last one to give a shit. He didn't care about the Shinigami's morals, or lack thereof.

_He could've chosen anyone, _the voice in the back of his head muttered.

That hit the nail on the head. It was the fact that Aizen's choice had been Amane. No, it was that Amane had been unfortunate, more unfortunate than any of the Shinigami in Soul Society.

The truth was, Aizen was essentially gifted at fucking people over. That was what Grimmjow believed, and so far it was the truth. Soul Society had trusted him, and he'd abandoned them, becoming their enemy in the process. Aizen's former lieutenant - some girl Shinigami who'd worshipped the ground he walked on - had _adored _him, and Aizen had proceeded to run her through, leaving her to slowly die in a pool of her own blood. The Gotei 13 captain who'd been unlucky enough to pick Aizen for his lieutenant a hundred years ago had gotten Hollowfied for his trouble, or so Grimmjow and the other Espada had been told by Ichimaru.

Grimmjow could run off a list of names, all the people who'd been screwed over by Aizen, all the people who'd met their untimely end because they'd been unlucky enough to either cross him or trust him. Even people on Aizen's side had been fucked over by Aizen at some point.

Shitloads of Numeros had been fucked over by Aizen, killed on a whim to prove a point. Barragan Luisenbarn had lost his throne to Aizen. All the Privaron Espada had been deposed by Aizen, in favour of the Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde Espada.

And Tia Harribel was perhaps the unluckiest of all of them.

Grimmjow stopped that thought before it could finish. People who had considered themselves Aizen's allies were on that list. People who _still _considered themselves Aizen's allies were on that list. Aizen had shown no scruples - or regrets - about what he'd done to any of them.

What would Aizen Sousuke do to Amane Rei, who quite possibly believed that he loved her?

Without thinking, Grimmjow pushed open a door with his fist, and was met with the sight of seven of the Espada, seated at a table drinking tea.

Coyote Starrk set down his tea cup. The yawn following the action failed to conceal the surprise in his face. Nnoitra Jiruga cast Grimmjow a sideways glance. Tia Harribel looked down, hiding her eyes from view. Yammy Riyulga grinned, obviously sensing the turmoil in Grimmjow's reiatsu. Szayel Aporro Granz pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, looking uncharacteristically serious. Barragan Luisenbarn's face didn't change out of its usual solemn countenance.

And Ulquiorra -

Ulquiorra's stare met Grimmjow's. The abnormally large green irises seemed to be trying to absorb the Sexta Espada, challenging him almost. Grimmjow stared back for all he was worth.

'What's your deal, Jaggerjack?' Yammy mocked. 'You seem pretty pissed about something.'

'Shut the fuck up, Yammy, unless you want to lose your arm again.' Grimmjow thought about leaving the room. The last thing he felt like was trying to hide his feelings in front of the other Espada. He realised that would send entirely the wrong message to the likes of the 'Cero' Espada, and took the only spare seat. Unfortunately for him it was next to Szayel. Reluctantly, Grimmjow settled into the chair.

_Give me any crap, you pink-haired nerd, _he thought venomously, _and you'll be the first scientist in the world to get a close-up look at his own innards. _

Szayel didn't acknowledge him, made no motion in his direction.

'Lord Aizen was having tea with us.' Starrk nodded in the direction of Grimmjow's chair. 'He left a while ago. He said he had business to attend to.'

That very nearly made Grimmjow see red again, and he gripped the arms of his chair. The skin over his knuckles whitened.

'Geez, Jaggerjack. What happened? Did you get your period today, or something?' Yammy leaned back in his chair, snickering.

Almost without noticing the sphere of energy which had formed in front of his closed fist, Grimmjow rose from his seat. 'What'd I say about shutting the fuck up, Yammy?' he snarled. 'They should have checked your hearing when they fixed your arm.'

'Pity my arm got stitched back on, isn't it, Jaggerjack?' Yammy stood up, looking at Grimmjow with derision in his eyes. 'We could have been a matching pair.'

'I'd have to be as fugly as you for that to happen,' Grimmjow spat.

'Who're you calling ugly?' Yammy bellowed, raising his fist.

'So you're as retarded as you look. Maybe that's why that black woman beat the shit out of you. Even she recognised a waste of space when she saw it.' Grimmjow pounded out each word with as much vehemence as he could. He was spoiling for a fight, and if the Cero Espada happened to be his opponent, so be it.

'Simmer down, you two.' Starrk looked at both of them.

'Asshole!' Yammy replied, lowering his fist. 'It's not like you're popular with the ladies, Grimmjow.' He grinned. 'I bet even that human filth you're guarding wouldn't sleep with you.'

Grimmjow lost his temper then, his sight disappearing in a maelstrom of red rage. His arm moved forward, the word 'Cero' on his lips.

'Jaggerjack! Riyulga!'

The thunder of Barragan's voice filled the room, his glare fixing on Grimmjow. With a considerable amount of effort Grimmjow reined in the Cero, absorbing it back into himself.

'The behaviour of spoilt children becomes neither of you.' Barragan gave Grimmjow a hard look.

'King Barragan is right.' Harribel looked up. 'We shouldn't fight amongst ourselves.'

'We've all sensed it, though.' Starrk picked up his empty cup, swinging it on his finger idly. 'Something's bothering you, Grimmjow. You should tell us about it.'

Yammy huffed. 'He can tell _you _about it, Starrk. I've got better things to do than listen to Grimmjow being a woman.' With that, he left the room, obviously miffed at being told off by Barragan.

'Remind me again why Aizen-sama made him an Espada,' Nnoitra muttered, rolling his eyes. 'All Yammy ever does is act like a fuckin' princess.'

Silently, Grimmjow agreed with the Quinta Espada.

'Starrk makes a valid point.'

The emotionless voice, and the blank stare with it, filled Grimmjow with impatient anger again. 'Why not fill us in, Grimmjow?' Ulquiorra's face gave nothing away. 'Discord among the Espada benefits no one.'

'Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong, Ulquiorra,' Grimmjow snapped. 'Nothing's wrong with me.'

'He's lying!'

To an uneducated eye, the figure who stormed into the room might appear to be an angry child. Grimmjow, however, recognised the other half of the Primera Espada, and scowled.

'Shut up, Lilinette.' Starrk yawned, even as she ran towards him.

'I saw the whole thing!' Lilinette turned, pointing an accusing finger at Grimmjow. 'I snuck into that creepy guy's room and looked at his cameras. Aizen-sama kissed your human, and you got really mad. I know what your face looks like when you get angry. You _like _her.'

'What, pray tell, were you doing in my palace?' The curiosity in Szayel's voice was tempered with amusement.

'I go in there all the time.' Lilinette screwed up her nose at Szayel. 'Otherwise you'd do all kinds of weird stuff in there and no one would know about it.'

Szayel raised an eyebrow. 'I wouldn't do that if I were you. After all, you're a child.' He grinned suggestively. 'One day, you'll be unlucky and see something no child should ever see.'

'Want to fight me, paedophile?' Lilinette raised a fist.

'That's enough.' Starrk raised a hand. Lilinette glared, but fell silent. Starrk turned back to Grimmjow. 'You had to know it was going to happen eventually.' There was something akin to sympathy in his voice, and Grimmjow hated himself for being pitied. 'After all, she's a woman. And Lord Aizen - is Lord Aizen,' Starrk continued.

Grimmjow couldn't help it. Unwillingly, his gaze was drawn to Harribel, as was Nnoitra's and Szayel's. Harribel noticed the eyes on her, and raised an eyebrow, as if daring any of them to say anything. Szayel looked away quickly. If Grimmjow didn't know better, he could have sworn that the perverted Octava Espada was actually embarrassed.

There was a pregnant silence, which was finally broken by Harribel herself. 'Is Lilinette right?' she asked, changing the subject. 'Do you have feelings for this girl?'

Grimmjow wanted to lie, but knew that to do so would be futile. Starrk had said it - every other Espada in the room had sensed his reiatsu when he'd walked in the door. They all knew that something was wrong with him. There was no point in trying to pretend otherwise.

'I'm protective of her.' The words ground their way past his teeth. 'That's all it is.'

'Then your nature has changed, Grimmjow.' There was something like condescension in Barragan's voice.

Starrk looked pitying again. 'You know what's going to happen to her, don't you, Grimmjow?'

'Of course he does.' Szayel pushed his tea cup aside. _Just like him, _Grimmjow thought. _Kicking me while I'm down. _

'How could he not know?' That uncharacteristic seriousness was back in the Octava's voice. 'We all know Aizen-sama. That girl's fate was sealed as soon as she decided to follow Grimmjow-san through the Garganta. Starrk-san said it himself.' Szayel paused. 'If she's lucky, he'll lose interest in her and she'll survive. If not -'

Grimmjow's eyes strayed to Harribel again, and he quickly pulled them away.

'- he'll dispose of her,' Szayel finished. 'It all depends on Aizen-sama, really. It doesn't concern us. If Grimmjow-san feels protective towards her, let him. He's only doing what Aizen-sama ordered him to do.'

That surprised Grimmjow. _You're defending me, Aporro, _he thought, not without a measure of suspicion. _That's not like you._

'So my analysis was correct.' Ulquiorra was speaking again. 'On some level, you care for her.'

'So what if he does?' Nnoitra sneered. 'This is Jaggerjack we're talking about. It's like Aporro says. He's only following orders. He doesn't _love_ her or some crap like that. Lilinette's full of shit.'

Lilinette folded her arms, pouting.

'Orders,' Barragan repeated. 'Indeed.'

The silence returned at that. All the Espada knew how the former King of Hueco Mundo felt about Aizen. Grimmjow had long suspected that even Aizen himself knew how Barragan felt about him.

'I hope for your sake that that's all it is, Grimmjow,' Harribel interrupted, sounding tired. 'She's in Lord Aizen's hands now.' And with that, she left the room.

The others followed suit, filing out after Harribel. Lilinette stuck her tongue out at Grimmjow as she passed him, and Ulquiorra's eyes lingered on him, only leaving Grimmjow when the Cuatra Espada himself left the room.

The only Espada to remain was Szayel Aporro Granz. The Octava remained in his chair, his gaze directed into empty space.

'What was that for?' Grimmjow demanded.

Szayel turned to look at him, his face mildly questioning. 'I have no idea what you're talking about.'

'_That!_' Grimmjow waved his arm, growing impatient. 'Why did you stick up for me? What's in it for you?'

Szayel raised a hand, inspecting his fingernails. 'Is it so hard for you to believe that I merely wished to intercede on the behalf of a fellow Espada?' he asked, his eyes meeting Grimmjow's behind his glasses.

'Yeah,' Grimmjow snarled. 'It is. You'd bring me down if it suited you. So would Leroux or Arruruerie. Cut the crap, Aporro. What do you want from me?'

Adjusting his glasses, the Octava Espada stared directly at Grimmjow, reminding him for a moment of Ulquiorra. 'Do you really want to hear that I felt sorry for you?' he hissed. 'Do I have to say it aloud, where anyone can hear?'

Grimmjow caught the meaning behind his words, and understood. Chances were good that Aizen himself was listening in on their conversation right now. If Szayel had cameras everywhere, then Aizen probably did too.

'I don't want your pity,' Grimmjow shot back.

'Trust me, you don't have it any more.' Szayel's look turned into a glare. 'If you think I still feel sorry for you, you're sadly mistaken.'

'I should have seen that coming. Feeling anything is unusual for you.' Grimmjow let the question creep into his voice.

Szayel leaned forward, and Grimmjow realised that to anyone watching it would look like the Octava Espada was whispering something threatening in his ear. 'You'd do well to discard any feelings you have for that woman,' he murmured. 'Unless you want to be like me and learn that lesson the hard way.'

Grimmjow looked at the pink-haired Arrancar in genuine surprise. 'What -'

'Rest assured, I don't pity you. Not yet, in any case.' Szayel's eyes darkened. 'You pride yourself on your strength, don't you? Then cast whatever you feel for her aside, even if all you want to do is protect her. No one can be protected against Lord Aizen. Be grateful that all he's done so far is kiss her, and stop being so pathetic.'

'But -'

'When Lord Aizen rapes the woman you care for, and there's nothing you can do about it, let me know.' Szayel's voice was cold. 'Then I'll be more than happy to offer you my sympathy.'

'She never -' Grimmjow was at a loss for words.

'Kicked and screamed? Told him no?' Szayel finished the sentence for him. 'No one says no to Aizen-sama. You know that as well as I do, unless you're as foolish as you look.' With that, he moved away, leaving Grimmjow stunned and speechless.

* * *

What's that, I hear you ask?

That would be my super special awesome secret surprise side pairing! Featuring Szayel and guess her name if you can. It shouldn't be too hard.


	26. Devil's Chess Game  Part I

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 26

Devil's Chess Game

_**

* * *

**_

Part I:

_**Opening Move**_

_

* * *

_

Barely cold in her grave

_Barely warm in my bed_

_Settle for a draw tonight_

_Puppet girl_

_Your strings are mine. _

**-Feel For You, Nightwish**

Even Grimmjow had said it. Time was difficult to judge in Hueco Mundo. By Rei's guess, it had been two days since he'd kissed her.

Two days later, and still she couldn't think straight.

She was confused more than anything else. She didn't know what to feel. She just…didn't know.

She didn't know how long it would be until she could handle looking at Aizen again.

She'd thrown herself into Kidou practice afterwards. The next day, after she'd slept, Grimmjow had taken her to a lower level of Las Noches, and Rei had brought the Kidou book with her. She was proficient at Shou by now, and had gone on to perform Byakurai. She had repeated each Hadou over and over before moving on, not out of any desire to please Aizen but because the memorisation of incantations, the need to focus on her own reiatsu, meant that her mind was occupied. Rei had managed to stop herself thinking about Aizen, at least momentarily.

Of course, Kidou took its toll on her, and when Rei found herself needing to sleep, she did so fitfully. She felt tired today, as if her tangled thoughts had worn her thin from the inside. She couldn't close her eyes without picturing his face.

Rei knew perfectly well that there was no reason for Aizen to feel any sort of attraction to her. She didn't doubt that he could have anyone he wanted.

But she'd looked into his eyes, and seen what was there. And what she'd seen had confused her even more than the kiss itself had.

Rei knew what she'd expected to see. She'd expected to see a lie. She'd expected to be able to tell that he was pretending to want her. No matter how well he'd lied, she would have been able to pick it up with her strange sixth sense that was specific to Aizen.

He was a good liar, she knew that much. To be as good as he was, he had to have spent his entire life lying.

But Rei had seen it in his face, felt it in his lips when they'd touched hers, heard it in his voice even. Aizen _did _want her. Just thinking it made her feel light-headed and warm again, warm all over, and she felt the terrible temptation to feel excited, even _happy. _

Because Rei couldn't deny that she'd enjoyed it. How could she deny it? She'd imagined what it would feel like if Aizen kissed her. And now she had the memory, far better than any of her imaginings could hope to be.

She wondered if kissing would feel different if she was in a body, rather than existing as a soul. She wondered if the kiss had really been genuine, or if she'd just been unable to tell truth from lies. She wasn't exactly an impartial judge as far as Aizen Sousuke was concerned.

_Of course it was a lie, _she thought in frustration. _He caught me off guard. That was why I couldn't tell. _

Rei was ninety per cent sure that was the case. At least, she thought she was. How was it possible to quantify thoughts, feelings? Rei had never considered it possible. There were too many variables. The thought that he was lying to her stung. Rei knew why that was.

She wanted so badly for it to be true.

Lying back on her bed, Rei stared at the ceiling. She knew she should be practising Kidou, should be doing something other than letting her mind dwell on Aizen and his kiss. But her limbs felt heavy, and she felt frustrated and helpless, a prisoner of her own confusion. She hadn't even dressed yet.

_I need to regroup, _she thought. _I need to figure out what to do. Aizen's got a plan. I need to have one as well. _

That line of thinking surprised her. It was almost as if she was beginning to think of Aizen as an opponent, rather than a benefactor.

_He gave me a home, and took me in, and kissed me. He's just using all those things to hide the fact that he's got a hidden agenda - no, he's using all those things to _achieve _his hidden agenda. _Rei felt more than a little guilty for thinking it, and more than a little paranoid too.

_All I can do with my first kiss is mistrust it, _she thought. _That has to be a sign of paranoia. _

Nevertheless, Aizen had obviously figured out that she was attracted to him, and was trying to use it against her somehow. That seemed an awful lot to Rei like she ought to start considering him as her opponent.

She briefly thought _enemy, _and then discarded it. Her mind - and body - were too much at odds with the thought of Aizen as her enemy.

_Maybe this is another form of test, _she thought. _Like facing me off against the Demi-Hollow. He wants to see how I think, how smart I am. _

That made more sense than any of the other alternatives. Rei tried to look at the situation logically. Her hypothesis was that Aizen was using any means necessary to try and manipulate her, to stop her from thinking clearly. Therefore, he had to want something from her.

Was it her life? Did he want her dead? Rei discarded that notion. If Aizen had wanted her dead, she wouldn't have lasted - almost a week, she guessed - in Las Noches. He could have had Grimmjow kill her in the desert. If he'd wanted to see what she was capable of doing first, he'd had ample time since then to send an Espada to stab her in her sleep.

Perhaps he wanted her unusual power for something. If that was the case, then Rei was at a loss as to what purpose Aizen could have for her. Could he want her to make some sort of weapon? Again, she doubted it. That seemed a little far-fetched. Aizen was obviously in charge here. There was nothing he'd need a weapon for. And Rei couldn't think of anything else. Her ability was very limited, and Aizen knew that.

What else could he possibly want from her? Considering the kiss, there was one obvious alternative. Blood went to her face, but Rei rejected that idea. Admittedly, Aizen had kissed her. And yes, as far as she knew, he appeared to have no significant other - there was a king in Hueco Mundo, but no queen. But again, if Aizen wanted to somehow - take _advantage _of her - he'd had multiple opportunities to do so. Rei had been alone with him more than once.

She couldn't think of anything she had to offer Aizen, anything he could want. So her hypothesis had to be false, at least in part. The sense that all this was some sort of test felt the closest to the truth.

But Rei knew that trusting her feelings where Aizen was concerned was a bad idea. So she couldn't rule out either possibility. Aizen either wanted something from her, or he was trying to test her and find out more about her.

Either way, she needed a plan to deal with it.

Someone knocked at her door, and Rei sat up. 'Who is it?' she called out.

'Who the fuck do you think it is?' Grimmjow sounded annoyed, as per usual. 'Lord Aizen wants you to go to Shinigami practice with him.'

Rei thought for a moment. It was true that she did need to regroup, even though she'd had two days in which to do it. 'Can you please tell Aizen-sama I don't feel well?' she called out, trying to make her voice sound wobbly. 'And tell him I'm sorry.'

To her alarm, the door to her room opened. _I must have forgotten to lock it, _Rei thought, and wanted to slap herself.

Grimmjow stood, silhouetted by the light outside. Rei couldn't see enough of his face to read it.

'You can't actually think he's going to buy that,' he stated.

Rei stared back at the Sexta Espada, feeling even more confused. She felt bad for lying to Grimmjow. As far as she knew, he'd spent his entire life in Hueco Mundo obeying Aizen, probably being lied to by Aizen.

'But I am -' she protested.

Grimmjow raised a hand to silence her, stepping into her room. 'Shut up, dumbass,' he said, closing the door behind him. 'You couldn't fake sick if your life depended on it. You don't really love him, do you?'

Rei wanted to deny it, and at the same time wanted to agree. She didn't know that Grimmjow wouldn't be like Szayel and report back to Aizen anything he felt his superior should know. In fact, there was a good chance Grimmjow would do just that. Rei hadn't known him for long enough to predict what the Arrancar would do. And she was horrible at reading people.

So it wouldn't be safe for her to agree with Grimmjow, and say that she didn't love Aizen. Which meant she should say that she _did _love Aizen. But - Rei didn't know.

'I'm confused,' Rei compromised.

The Espada's face softened, just a little, at that. It was strange to watch. 'If you want me to tell Aizen you're sick, be more convincing,' he growled. 'I'm not as good at lying as pretty much everyone else in this hole.'

That brought a smile to Rei's face. 'That's okay,' she replied. 'I can cope with that.' Then she remembered her earlier suspicion that Aizen might have planted surveillance equipment in her room, and glanced furtively at the ceiling.

Grimmjow saw her looking, and shook his head, just once. 'Not his style.'

'How can you be sure?' Rei asked in an undertone.

Grimmjow scowled, as if he didn't know how to explain it and didn't want to. 'He'd be making it too easy,' he answered finally.

Rei understood, and nodded. 'That's a relief,' she said, for lack of anything better to say. For a moment she was suspicious, thinking perhaps Aizen had sent Grimmjow to try and extract something from her. Then she looked at thin air, the conspicuous absence of his left arm, and remembered how she hadn't entirely believed Aizen's story of a 'personal dispute.'

'Why me?' she asked finally. 'What does he want?'

Grimmjow shrugged. 'I can't see inside the bastard's head, and I don't want to.'

'You shouldn't stay in here too long.' Rei was thinking ahead. 'I don't want you to get into trouble.'

Grimmjow glared at her. 'You thought I was going to? I'm not about to stick my neck on the line for _you_.'

Rei nodded. 'Okay. I understand, Grimmjow-san. Will you tell him for me?'

'Yeah, whatever.' Grimmjow put his hand on the door handle, looking back at her. 'You do know what you're fucking with, don't you?' he asked, serious rather than irritated.

'Of course I do,' Rei replied, a little annoyed. 'I've said it to Szayel-san. I'm not stupid.'

'All right then, here's a tip. If you're going up against Aizen Sousuke, learn how to lie.' He opened the door, leaving the room, and shut it behind him.

Grimmjow's words made Rei uncomfortable. She felt more than a little like she was betraying Aizen.

_I haven't done anything, though, _she tried to reassure herself. _And I'm not planning to do anything. I'm not going up against Aizen. I just don't trust him. _

She had to admit, though, that Grimmjow had a point. Rei knew she was a bad liar. She'd never even really had to lie to her parents about sneaking out of the house once a week. They'd never bothered to ask.

_Then again, maybe fighting fire with fire is the wrong approach, _she thought. _What better way to defend myself against a liar than to tell the truth?_

It was then that Rei remembered Aizen's request, murmured in her ear just after his mouth had moved away from hers.

_Perhaps you could be persuaded to write a song for me. _

It would need to be done delicately, she knew, as she reached for the pen and paper Ichimaru had fetched for her two days before. But she could handle that. She was better at telling subtle truths with music than she was at lying with her mouth.


	27. Devil's Chess Game Part II

Warning: spoiler. I haven't been reading the manga, I'm an anime person (the fights are so much better that way) but I went on deviantART and spoiled things for myself that way.

After the most recent chapter, I have one thing to say:

Tite Kubo-dono is God.

Bondage! Aizen is now canon. I nearly died from the hawtness. That's how Aizen's going to conquer the world. Everyone is going to die of blood loss from the nosebleeds. Mmm…tight black leather and bondage straps suit him.

In this chapter: my super special awesome theory about Shinji and Aizen! Which I came up with about three minutes ago. Which isn't canon in the slightest. But no one knows anything about Aizen's past. So I can say what I like. And yes, I do watch Yu-Gi-Oh! Abridged.

Again, another long chapter. But worth it! Very much worth it. There is Aizen and Amane. I'll leave the rest to your imagination.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 27

Devil's Chess Game

* * *

Part II:

**Crescendo and Stalemate**

_

* * *

My word and world holds ground_

_And is real;_

_Your world is like floods of poisoned water_

_A language spoken_

_With spit from different tongues. _

_(You can never corrupt me again.)_

**-The Sacrilegious Scorn, Dimmu Borgir**

Aizen leafed through the sheets of paper idly. His Octava Espada had handed him the report earlier that morning.

He had asked Szayel to compile a report containing all the information the Arrancar could find on Amane Renata. Aizen knew it was possible for Szayel to access human computer systems and databases from Hueco Mundo. Granted, it was possible for him to look up the information himself, but he had a subordinate who could do the job for him.

He had given Szayel the task shortly after Renata had declined to see him a few days ago. Aizen had been slightly disappointed. He recalled the softness of the girl's mouth, the way she'd been too shy to look directly at him.

It was obvious she'd never been kissed, touched, or even looked at by a man before. Aizen had been able to tell that straight away, even when he'd first seen her in the rain in the human world.

Inexperience didn't usually make for fireworks in a kiss, he knew. Aizen was just as good at lying with his body was he was with his mouth, and that had been exactly what he'd intended to do. He had thought he would need to pretend to Renata that there were fireworks there. He certainly hadn't expected kissing her to be anything too spectacular.

Aizen had been very pleasantly surprised.

It had been a few months since he'd taken anyone to bed with him. In all honesty, Aizen hadn't found anything he'd liked enough. Human women bored him. They were so utterly predictable, always trying to take the lead, always being the ones to initiate intimacy with him. The sex itself always felt more like a chore than anything else.

And female Arrancar - Aizen hadn't particularly wanted to go down that path again. He'd only ever bedded two, one of them willing and the other reluctant. Both had been disappointing.

Renata, however, had been far from disappointing. She'd been taken by surprise, and hadn't responded to him as Aizen would have liked her to do. But the sensation of her mouth against his, even in the state of shock she'd been in, had pleased him. Aizen had only planned to kiss Renata once, but he'd found himself leaning in to press his lips to hers again. He'd had to stop, otherwise he would have gone further. And it wouldn't have done to frighten the girl.

Aizen couldn't remember the last time he'd had to exercise self-control.

He'd decided to wait a while before summoning her again. It was then that she'd declined to see him. Aizen had concluded that she hadn't been as close to falling into his arms as he'd first thought. So he'd ordered Szayel to find out all he could about her. Perhaps the information would give him an advantage, a foothold inside the girl's mind, although Aizen doubted it.

He'd left the medical reports for perusal later. He knew all about her little heart condition already, and anything else would have to be trivial next to that. Aizen scanned the next few pages, absorbing dry information that told him very little about Renata herself.

She'd been born on the thirtieth of March in a private hospital in Kyoto. She was sixteen years old, blood type B negative, measuring one hundred and sixty-five centimetres tall.

Her parents had chosen to hire a private tutor for her, and there were no records of her ever having attended school. Aizen made note of that. It meant she'd most likely spent her life in isolation. It would certainly explain why she'd chosen to remain in Las Noches, rather than return to the human world.

There was very little real information in the report, just as he'd expected. There was just a birth certificate, the results of a doctor's physical examination, the medical reports and one last document, the results of an appointment with a child psychologist when Renata was five years old.

That intrigued Aizen. He read the sheet of paper carefully. Apparently her tutor had recommended the appointment after spending a week with the girl. The psychologist reported her as being intellectually gifted and highly intelligent. There was the result of an IQ test at the end of the report. Aizen knew what the standard for a certified genius was, and Renata at age five had only been two points short of it.

He discarded the report, sweeping it off the desk he was sitting at into an open drawer. Aizen had sensed the girl's reiatsu approaching his rooms, and was sure he hadn't been mistaken.

He moved towards his door, opening it.

Renata's hand dropped to her side. She'd obviously been reaching out to knock, and looked embarrassed. Her cheeks reddened, a sight which was familiar to Aizen by now.

'Aizen-sama - I mean Sousuke-san,' she mumbled. 'I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you.'

'Please don't be sorry,' Aizen replied, a smile on his face as he moved aside to let her enter. 'I'm glad to see you've recovered.'

Renata jumped noticeably. 'Oh, yes. I feel much better now. Thank you for asking.'

'Would you like to sit with me?' Aizen offered, gesturing towards the couch at the side of the room. Renata nodded, perching herself on the edge. Her hands were folded in her lap. She reminded Aizen of nothing so much as a school student who'd been summoned to the principal's office.

'You seem uncomfortable,' he observed.

Renata jumped again. 'I'm sorry, Sousuke-san. I'm fine, really. Please don't worry about me.'

'I think I know what's bothering you,' Aizen answered, his eyes moving of their own accord down to her mouth. She was chewing her lower lip nervously. 'Was I too forward the last time I saw you, Renata-chan?'

Renata looked startled, but remained silent. At last she spoke. 'You did surprise me a little,' she said.

'Then please accept my apologies.' Aizen resisted the urge to trace the curve of that full lower lip with his finger, as he had before. 'My last intention was to frighten you. I can assure you I will not do so again.'

Disappointment flickered across her face at that, and Aizen hid his smile. 'You don't need to apologise, Sousuke-san,' she murmured, unfolding a piece of paper she'd been holding. 'I wrote something for you. It's the song you asked me for.'

Aizen took the paper from her, reading the words she'd written.

Her messy left-handed scrawl rewrote all his opinions of her. She had surprised him again. She seemed to be surprising him on a regular basis.

Aizen finished reading the lyrics, and reread them. The ink of whatever pen she'd used had smudged into the paper. _You still don't trust me, _he thought, wonderingly. _Not even a little, not in the slightest. _

'I wrote it as a duet,' she explained. 'It was going to be just for one person at first. But I thought it sounded better with two. In my head, that is.'

'Kyouka Suigetsu.' Aizen read the title aloud.

'Yes. Ichimaru-sama told me the name of your Zanpakutou,' Renata said. 'I hope you don't mind.'

'Of course not.' Aizen stood. 'Will you come with me?' he asked.

Renata nodded, taking his arm when he offered it to her. Aizen led her into one of the neighbouring rooms, and heard her breathe out in astonishment.

'Does it surprise you?' he asked, sitting in front of the piano.

'Not really.' She laughed, sitting next to him. 'I thought you might be musical.' Aizen saw her blush again, as if she hadn't meant to say that last part.

'Shall we?' He placed the sheet of paper in front of them, covered in her scrawl.

Renata nodded, and Aizen began to play. He couldn't deny that she had a gift for composition, for someone so young. He had dabbled a little himself when he'd been younger, in Seireitei.

'Looking over the silent sand for a moment, a voice that is not a voice is sketched into the mind.' She had a high, clear soprano voice.

Aizen answered her line by singing his own. 'On lukewarm days, lukewarmly soaking, the voices of fools tremble.'

'The moon reflected in the mirror shines on the vivid world, fascinated by every smiling face.' Renata glanced shyly up at him. 'It's all right if everything shatters to pieces.' Aizen's voice merged with hers, and he saw a smile come to Renata's face.

'If you bellow grimly, your weakness seeps out.'

'And if you admire too much, you will never understand,' she sang back. 'Gradually changing, unaware of your changes -'

'Weaklings, enjoy yourselves.' They continued, and Aizen paused every so often in his playing to glance sideways at her.

He knew Gin wouldn't have told her of Kyouka Suigetsu's power. His lieutenant wouldn't have been so foolish. And yet Renata had somehow turned her own thoughts and feelings into something that had managed to encapsulate Aizen himself at the same time.

She admired, but was still able to understand. _Still suspicious, _Aizen thought to himself. _Perhaps it's time to remove Grimmjow from the picture. _

'Fascinated by every smiling face,' he murmured, as the song drew to a close.

'It's all right if everything shatters.' Her voice was soft, and Aizen turned his face to her. Renata was staring at him, her eyes wide. She coloured when she saw that he was looking back at her.

'Was my singing voice that terrible?' he asked, amused.

Renata shook her head. 'No.' She looked away from him, and bit her lip again, as if daring herself to speak. 'I - really liked your voice, Sousuke-san.'

Aizen chuckled at that. 'I'm glad to hear it.' Almost without thinking, he slipped a hand under her chin, tilting her face up to his own. Her colour deepened.

'Am I frightening you?' He kept his voice low, not wanting to startle her again.

'No, Sousuke-san.' That dreamy look was back in her eyes again, her cheeks and lips still flushed.

'You may call me Sousuke-kun if you wish.' Aizen made himself wait, enjoying the anticipation.

'Sousuke-kun,' she repeated.

Aizen leant down and kissed her. His fingers trailed down her throat, brushing against the warm pulse of blood in her neck, his hand eventually moving to cup the back of her head through her hair.

He made the noise of appreciation, pleasure even, again. He didn't need to fake it. She was soft and warm and innocent and yielding, and that was a novelty for him.

Aizen lifted his mouth from hers for a moment. 'Did you like that?' he asked, hearing the huskiness of desire in his voice.

'Yes.' Renata's voice was barely audible. 'Sousuke-kun -'

Aizen cut her off, letting her words trail off into thin air as he kissed her again. He heard the sound in the back of her throat, and felt like laughing darkly to himself. She was enjoying this just as much as he was, perhaps more, because she'd never experienced it before.

Aizen licked her lower lip, and heard her little gasp of shock. 'Please tell me to stop if anything I do frightens you,' he murmured, pausing again. 'I am a man of my word. And I did promise not to alarm you a second time.'

'I'm not afraid.'

Taking that as consent to go further, Aizen kissed her deeper, feeling her lips part cautiously. It was clear she'd never done this before. He was subtle about it, as he was about everything, tasting the inside of her mouth gently at first. He slipped his tongue between her lips, being careful not to force it. He didn't want Renata to think he was the kind of man who used force.

It took her time to get used to him, but that inexperience was far more appealing than anything else Aizen had encountered. He felt her return his kiss, and traced the inside of her upper lip with his tongue.

Then she retreated, pulling her mouth away. Her small hands were on his chest, not in a gesture of passion, but in an attempt to move away. Aizen let her, though unwillingly. He was well and truly aroused now. He wanted her, but only if she was under his control.

He had only once had an unwilling partner. It wasn't an experience he wanted to repeat. It wasn't out of guilt, or any trifling emotion, that he thought that way. It hadn't been particularly enjoyable, and Aizen wasn't the kind of man to force anyone into bed with him. He knew she hadn't ever made any attempt to deny him, and she certainly hadn't pushed him away when the time had come. But she'd never had a choice to begin with.

'I shouldn't be doing this.' Renata's voice brought him back to the present. 'I'm sorry, Sousuke-san. I - haven't known you for very long.'

'Please don't be sorry.' Aizen moved his hand from the back of her neck to let it rest on top of her head, as he had with Hinamori. He saw her eyes, dazed and a little confused. 'I apologise if I rushed you.'

Renata looked away from him. 'No, you didn't. It's my fault. I'm sorry to do this to you. You must think I'm -' She paused, seeming lost for words. '- Incapable of knowing my own mind.'

'Of course not.' Aizen moved his hand away. 'You've never done this before,' he said, his voice kind. 'Am I right?'

Renata nodded, chewing her lip again.

'Then please allow me to get to know you better,' Aizen said, watching her relax a little when she realised he wasn't angry. 'You must know by now that there is very little to occupy us here in Hueco Mundo. I have a lot of time on my hands. If there's anything I'm capable of doing, it's being patient.' It was the truth, too. After all, he'd spent more than a century perfecting Hollowfication. He'd spent longer than that waiting to bring down the Soul Society.

Renata smiled. 'What should we talk about, then?' she asked him, a little tentatively.

'Tell me about your life in the human world,' Aizen said, choosing what he deemed to be a safe topic.

'There's not really much to tell,' Renata replied, lacing her fingers together in her lap. 'I was an only child. I didn't go outside very much. I was - sick a lot of the time.' She looked at him from under lowered eyelids. 'But I guess you already knew that. I mean, Szayel-san would've told you, right?'

Aizen acknowledged that with a nod. She might have appeared innocent and confused, but he knew there was a capable mind underneath that messy head of hair.

'What about your family?' he prompted.

A cloud flitted across Renata's face, just for a moment. 'I didn't really have one. My father was hardly ever around, and my mother -' She stopped there, and Aizen waited for her to continue.

'She was hardly ever around either,' she said, her voice much quieter. 'But I hated her.' Renata looked ashamed of herself then. 'That's terrible, isn't it?' she said, looking up at him. 'You shouldn't hate your own mother. You didn't hate your mother, did you, Sousuke-san?'

'Have you ever said that to anyone before?' Aizen asked her, genuinely curious.

Her eyes were downcast. 'No. Because you don't -'

'- Say things like that to other people,' he finished for her. 'Don't try to hide the way you feel. It's a little silly, isn't it? That you should feel obligated to love - or even like - someone because you share genetic material with them?'

'Yes. That's it. That's exactly it.' Renata blinked, looking a little tired. 'I couldn't stand her.' Her voice was a monotone. 'She always treated me like I was stupid. Even when other people told her I was smart.'

'She restricted you, didn't she?' Aizen could see the question forming on her lips, and beat her to it. 'Shall I tell you how I grew up? I can tell you're curious, Renata-chan. I was born to a soul who was once a human woman.'

Renata's eyes widened. 'Really?' Even then Aizen could see the mistrust, the thought of the possibility that he was lying to her.

'Yes,' he smiled. 'She died, went to Soul Society, and lived in Rukongai, where all deceased souls live if they do not possess the talent to become Shinigami.'

Aizen remembered the woman who had been his mother.

He had never known a father. He had never known the details of his conception, and had never cared to ask. He bore his mother's name, and the name she had given to him at his birth. He had been born Aizen Shinji, and he, like Renata, had loathed his mother.

They had lived in one of the lower districts of Rukongai, and she had always seemed to resent the necessity of protecting him.

'She thought little of me, just as your mother did of you,' he told Renata. 'She resented my existence, I think. I was always inclined to believe that she'd never intended to conceive me.'

'So what happened?' The girl was looking at him now, into his eyes.

His mother had told him once that he was named for his father. Aizen had very much doubted that, even as a child. He had known enough about the seventy-sixth district of Rukongai and his mother to know that his mother had probably been drunk the night of his conception, and not known the name or even the face of the man on top of her. Admittedly, he had looked closely at his Captain for any family resemblance once he'd learned the man's given name. It wasn't unknown for Shinigami to enter Rukongai to take their pleasure with the women who lived there. But Hirako Shinji had looked nothing like Aizen, and Shinji was a common name. That had been the end of it. Aizen had never felt any desire to find out who his birth father was.

He wondered briefly whether to tell Renata the truth. If he lied, she would never know otherwise. No one - not even Gin - save Aizen Sousuke knew what had become of his mother, or his birth name.

'Will you tell me something, Renata-chan?'

Renata nodded. 'Of course, Sousuke-san.'

'How much did you hate your mother?' he asked her.

'You killed her, didn't you?' There was no horror in Renata's face, no revulsion. There was only the thoughtful expression of someone who'd guessed correctly.

'Yes. I was old enough and strong enough to join the Shinigami Academy.' Aizen watched her carefully. 'I wanted to leave behind what I had been and become someone new. Can you understand my reasons?'

The thoughtful look persisted on Renata's face. Aizen had long since stopped being annoyed at his inability to tell what was going on inside her head.

'Yes,' she replied, sounding distant. 'It's strange. I think I can.'

Aizen had chosen the name Sousuke for himself. He had never particularly cared for Shinji, and the one who had given him that name was dead. It hadn't been hard to do. She had been lying in bed drunk and snoring one night, and Aizen had held a pillow over her face, stopping when he could no longer feel a pulse.

'I don't want you to think of me as a monster,' he said. 'I'm glad you understand, Renata-chan.'

Renata nodded, looking sleepy again. She yawned, and Aizen smiled down at her. 'You seem tired,' he said, lifting her around the waist and carrying her out to the couch. She weighed very little.

Renata blushed, yet again, and struggled to sit up. 'You don't have to carry me, Sousuke-san,' she protested.

Aizen laid her down on the couch. 'Please. Sousuke-kun,' he said, chastely kissing her forehead.

'All right…Sousuke-kun.'

'Please rest,' he said, leaving the room.

He'd certainly made progress with her. She was close to falling in love with him, that was undeniable. All Aizen needed was one last catalyst, one final push to send her into place.

He smiled to himself. Originally he'd intended to dispose of her once he'd grown tired of her, but Aizen suspected that wasn't going to happen for a while. Perhaps she could be his consort.

One thing was clear. His earlier thought had been correct.

Aizen walked through the corridors of Las Noches, making his way to the throne room. He needed to speak to Ulquiorra. He had a mission for his Cuatra Espada. Those traitorous Arrancar who now believed they'd stolen the Hougyoku had left for the physical world, and presented the diversion Aizen needed.

And he also intended to have a chat with Grimmjow.

* * *

Oh man. Grimmjow's fucked. Poor Grimmjow. It was nice knowing you.

I just realised. If Shinji was Aizen's father, and Aizen's mother called him Shinji when he was born…

They would both be called Hirako Shinji!

And before anyone gets annoyed with me, I don't own the song. It's 'Kyouka Suigetsu' from Aizen's Bleach Beat Collection, and I get shivers down my spine every time I listen to it. It belongs to whoever wrote it, even thoughI'm not entirely sure who that is.


	28. Devil's Chess Game Part III

I actually feel sorry for Grimmjow, and not just in regards to this chapter. I know what's coming up in his future, and it's not good.

Grimmjow-san, if you exist in some alternate universe, and if you ever read this fanfiction, I am really, really sorry for putting you through so much shit.

Random thought: if the Bleach characters do exist in an alternate universe while I'm writing fanfiction about them, then maybe in their universe us "real" people are anime characters, and they write fanfiction about US.

Mind. Blown.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 28

Devil's Chess Game

**

* * *

**Part III:

**Weak and Powerless**

_

* * *

Recall the deeds as if they're all someone else's_

_Atrocious stories;_

_Now you stand reborn_

_Before us all;_

_So glad to see you well. _

_Your halo slipping down_

…

_But I'm more than just a little curious_

_How you're planning to go about making your amends_

_To the dead. _

**-The Noose, A Perfect Circle**

Grimmjow followed Ichimaru Gin in silence.

Of course the idea had occurred to him. He could have refused to go to Aizen. He could have said no. As soon as the thought had entered his head, Grimmjow had wanted to laugh.

Even Szayel had said it. No one said no to Aizen. Grimmjow was as helpless as Tia Harribel had been that night. _Thou hast been summoned, _he thought to himself, and wanted to laugh again.

There was nothing remotely funny about this situation. Of course it was entirely possible that Aizen had just decided to call all the Espada together for a meeting or something.

But no, Grimmjow couldn't kid himself. He'd seen Aizen carrying the human woman back to her room.

She had been curled up in his arms, sleeping. To anyone who didn't know Aizen, it would look as though the Shinigami actually fucking cared about her. He had opened the door to her room with Grimmjow standing a few metres back. He had stopped to brush a strand of hair away from the woman's cheek, and that simple motion had made Grimmjow's insides twist.

Grimmjow had been close enough to the door to see inside Amane's room, to see when Aizen lay the sleeping girl down on her bed. He had pulled the blanket over her, positioned her head on the pillow. Then he had turned to leave the room, and Grimmjow had seen the gleam in his eyes, that possessive smile on his face.

_You don't give a shit about her, _he'd thought. _You just want her under your thumb, like everything else in here. _

And then the rage had returned, that irrational, helpless anger which screamed to be released in the form of a Cero. Aizen had nodded to Grimmjow upon walking away, and Grimmjow had felt cold, sharp eyes like the tip of a knife dissecting his thoughts. He had known then that his hatred and revulsion for the Shinigami had been showing in his reiatsu, and had been unable to hide it.

It was too late to take Szayel's advice now. Grimmjow had just barely held on to his temper, and now he was going to pay the price.

Ichimaru entered the throne room ahead of him, and Grimmjow unwillingly followed his lead. He felt like a death row prisoner heading to an execution. And the only crime he'd committed was to disapprove of Lord Aizen the Almighty.

_Speak of the devil, _he thought sourly, looking up at the throne and its occupant.

'You don't look very happy to see me, Grimmjow.' The tone of Aizen's voice was light, conversational almost. 'What's preoccupying you, if you'll permit me to ask?'

'Nothing, Aizen-sama,' Grimmjow grated out.

Aizen chuckled. 'Clearly that's not the case. You always were one to wear your heart on your sleeve, Grimmjow.'

Grimmjow scowled. 'I'm an _Arrancar,_' he spat, letting his arms fall down to leave the hole in his abdomen exposed. 'I don't have a fuckin' heart, and you know it.'

'Is that so, Grimmjow?' Aizen stood, pacing backwards and forwards in front of his throne. He stopped, looking directly into the Espada's eyes. 'Then that is unfortunate for you.'

Grimmjow said nothing. He knew it was part of Aizen's fucked-up game. He wanted Grimmjow to ask what he meant. It would make him feel clever, and Grimmjow wasn't in any mood to stroke the Shinigami's ego.

'I know I can come across as being rather cold at times,' Aizen said, in a tone of voice that was obviously meant to be reassuring. 'But I am not uncompassionate.' He walked towards Grimmjow, moving slowly. 'I am also not unobservant. It wasn't difficult for me to notice that you have developed feelings for Miss Amane.'

'I haven't.' The denial was automatic. Grimmjow could tell already that there was no point in trying to lie, but he was damned if he was going to admit anything to Aizen Sousuke.

But was there really anything to admit?

_I'm protective of her. That's all it is. _Those had been his words to Harribel and the other Espada. Grimmjow had been convinced then, as well, that there was no point in lying. They'd all been able to sense his reiatsu, so he'd told them the first thing that had come into his head.

Was that really all there was to it?

No. When he'd seen Aizen kiss Amane, stroke her cheek, the anger boiling inside Grimmjow's chest hadn't just been protectiveness. It had been part jealousy as well.

For just a moment, he had wanted to _be _Aizen Sousuke, not because he wanted the Shinigami's power or authority, but because he'd wanted to be the only one who was allowed to get that close to Amane.

'You are wasting your time, Grimmjow.' Aizen stopped in front of him, and Grimmjow felt the Shinigami's fingers curl around his chin. Every fibre of his being screamed at him to move away. 'You cannot lie to me.' Aizen's hand was a few degrees cooler than Grimmjow's own skin. Inexorably, Aizen tilted his chin up, forcing Grimmjow to look him in the eyes.

'I can see you think I'm going to punish you, Grimmjow,' he continued. 'But that would be rather insensitive of me, wouldn't it? After all, you can't help what you feel.'

Grimmjow remained silent.

'It's only natural that you'd grow close to Miss Amane after spending so much time with her,' Aizen said, each word feeling like the tip of a blade trailing down Grimmjow's spine. 'She's certainly had that effect on me.' He laughed at that.

Grimmjow wanted to run the bastard through with Pantera, run him through until there was no blood left to drain out of the holes.

'Perhaps you think of her as a younger sister.' Aizen was dangling the chance of a reprieve in front of Grimmjow's nose, waiting for him to take the bait. 'Although I think perhaps you think of her as more than that. In either case, it would certainly be unjust of me to punish you. I am not without a heart. How can I punish you for having one?'

He paused. 'But you said it yourself, Grimmjow. You have no heart.' The Shinigami smiled. 'I cannot have you becoming involved with Miss Amane. Her welfare is very - shall we say important? - to me. It would hurt me deeply if she was led on by someone who is incapable of caring for her.'

Grimmjow lost his hold on his tongue then.

'Fuckin' reptile!' he bellowed, wrenching his face away from Aizen's grip. His hand went straight to Pantera. 'Like hell you give a shit about her -'

There was pain then - solid, tangible, crimson pain. Grimmjow gasped, sinking to the floor, hands clutching the bloody steel protruding out of his lower ribs as if it were a lifeline.

'Sorry 'bout that, Aizen-sama. Seems I forgot ta talk ta Grimmjow 'bout his manners before coming here.' Ichimaru's voice echoed through the throne room behind him, sounding almost ghostly.

'That's quite all right, Gin. I'm sure you've managed to teach Grimmjow his lesson about interrupting while others are talking.' Aizen's voice still had that soft-spoken, polite cadence to it.

Grimmjow fell on his knees when Ichimaru withdrew Shinsou, still struggling to breathe. 'Are you going to kill me, motherfucker?' he snarled, looking up at Aizen's silhouette. The light in the throne room seemed to glare off every available surface.

Aizen laughed again, sounding amused. 'That remains to be seen. You've provided me with many years of faithful service, Grimmjow. I won't forget that when I decide your fate.' He turned away, walking back to his throne. 'But I certainly cannot allow you to remain as one of my Espada with that attitude. Luppi, you may come in.'

Footsteps echoed through the throne room, moving towards Grimmjow. Grimmjow looked up, trying to see through the red haze of pain. The newcomer was dressed in white, like himself and everyone else in Las Noches.

'Grimmjow, I would like you to meet Luppi Antenor. He is my Sexta Espada. I created him using the Hougyoku some time ago. I anticipated that I would have need of a new Espada soon. He will take over all your duties, including the care of Miss Amane.'

Grimmjow blinked, tasting metallic blood in his throat, and saw the figure above him adjust his uniform, showing a tattooed number six on his hipbone.

'Bastard,' he snarled. 'Fuckin' asshole.'

'That's a very rude way of addressing your new superior.' Aizen's voice was lightly reproving. 'Would you like me to ask Lieutenant Ichimaru to provide you with further instruction as to how to behave in the presence of your betters, Grimmjow?'

The new Espada laughed, a high girlish giggle.

'I wasn't talking to him!' Grimmjow somehow managed to force the words out. He glared at the Shinigami, mustering all the hatred in him. 'Fuck you, Aizen,' he snarled, with as much venom as he could.

'Do ya want me ta give him a little more educatin', Aizen-sama?'

'Thank you for your offer, Gin, but that will be unnecessary.' Far above him, Aizen raised a hand. 'Right now, he is merely injured. He is not fatally wounded. It would vex me if he were to die before I decide upon a proper punishment for him.'

The blood on the floor in front of Grimmjow seemed impossibly stark, crimson staining white marble. It was hard to believe that all of it belonged to him.

_Punishment? _he thought. _Of course this isn't punishment enough. This is Aizen we're talking about. _

'Tell me, Grimmjow, are you familiar with the religions of the human world, primitive as they are?' Aizen lowered his hand. 'Have you ever heard of the ten commandments? Thou shalt honour thy father and thy mother. Thou shalt not covet what is thy neighbour's. Thou shalt not commit adultery.' His voice grew cold. 'I am your father and your mother, and Amane Rei belongs to me. You have coveted what is mine, Grimmjow, and that cannot be forgiven. Be thankful I chose now to teach you the error of your ways. Be thankful you never had a chance to breach the last commandment I mentioned.' He leaned forward. 'Please remove him, Gin. And tell Kaname I have granted his request to cut out Grimmjow's tattoo.'

Grimmjow felt himself flickering in and out of consciousness, feeling Ichimaru perform some kind of Shinigami trick on his arm, binding it behind his back. Whatever Aizen had said about not being mortally wounded, he'd lost a lot of blood.

He'd joined a cast of thousands. He'd been fucked over by Aizen, just like Soul Society, just like Barragan, just like Harribel. Grimmjow wasn't sure if he was going to survive the experience.

And it was all because of Amane Rei.

He should hate the human, Grimmjow knew that. But he was incapable of doing it.

* * *

Ewww! Luppi!

He freaks me out. EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW…ahem.

Aizen: Muahahahaha! And I DEMAND that you buy more Copic markers with which to colour me!

Me: No, my mum will get pissed with me. Cooperate, and let me watercolour your background or something.

Aizen: Never! Besides, I have…*wink wink* _other _methods of persuading you.

Me: Sorry, but your Force Choke won't work on me.

Aizen: No, but my Choke a Bitch face will. *evil sexy grins*

Me: *nosebleeds and dies*

Because any picture of Aizen's rape face is fanservice.


	29. Devil's Chess Game Part IV

Drumroll super special awesome chocolatey fudge-coated super announcement time!

The picture of Aizen (as he first appears in this fic, all hot and suited and standing in the rain in his Gigai) is now up on deviantART! And the link is on my profile.

Go. Look at it look at it look at it NOW or I'll sic Luppi onto you. (Eww.)

Done? Okay, enjoy the chapter. Here be super special awesome plot twists!

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 29

Devil's Chess Game

* * *

Part IV:

**The Battle, But Not the War**

_

* * *

I arose from the lullaby_

_Enduring yet another tale_

_You tempt me again_

_With your embrace, so tainted_

_Within the night you beckon_

_Cursing me with every glance_

…

_I swear I will always love you. _

**-Nectar, Opeth**

Rei lay on her back, on her bed, yet again. But this time, she was letting herself think of him.

Had it really surprised her so much?

Had it really come as that much of a shock that on the inside, Aizen Sousuke was just like her?

Rei tried to remember the first instant where she'd acknowledged the darkness. She found that she couldn't. It was like trying to remember taking her first breath, or being born. Deep down inside her, the darkness had always been there. It was a well, a repository of sorts, where she banished all the wrong thoughts, all the sedition and ugly truth and things that wanted to be said aloud but couldn't.

_You don't say things like that to other people. _That had always been at the heart of it, and the heart of her. Rei had balked at the idea of telling Aizen the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. She had told him that she'd always hated Amane Julia, but that was only the most trivial part of it. How many teenagers said that they hated their parents?

She hadn't wanted to tell him the ideas which had run circles around her head. How could she have explained it in words? How could Rei have told Aizen all the things about Amane Julia she'd loathed? How could she have told him that the very knowledge that she'd spent the first nine months of her existence growing inside the woman disgusted her, made her revile herself?

Amane Julia, née Julia Lovelace, and her trivial little existence, her once-shining career as second violinist in the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Her decision to settle down, to marry a young and handsome Japanese businessman - for his money, Rei had always thought rather cynically. The position she'd eventually taken with Amane Daisuke's company as a human resources sub-director, the job she'd loved to hate. There were a lot of things Amane Julia had loved to hate, her daughter among them.

Rei had resented every moment she'd had to spend with the woman, every backhanded comment Amane Julia had ever made. She remembered thinking even when she was a child that the woman was small-minded and self-centred. Amane Julia had only ever done two things for Rei - paid for her music lessons, and provided half of her genetic code. Those two actions were more than outweighed by the rest.

It was painfully obvious that Amane Julia resented having to work, resented being a mother, resented having a child. So Rei had sent her resentment back to her, threefold. She had resented having to live under the laws of this woman and her husband, when she hardly knew either of them. She had resented having to obey Julia, when she was more than capable of making her own decisions. She had essentially resented having to obey someone who was less than her.

At the time it had seemed insane to tell Aizen the whole truth. It would have sounded insane to anyone, Rei knew. It would have gotten her a lot more than an IQ evaluation from the psychologist she'd visited as a child. How could she ever tell anyone about the myriad causes of death which had cycled through her head in so many idle moments? How could she have recited that litany of misdeeds to anyone, least of all Aizen Sousuke, whom she'd sworn to guard herself against?

In reality, she was blameless. In her mind, Rei was a murderer a thousand times over, and her mother hadn't been her only victim. The targets of her imagined scenarios were sometimes the victims of childish spite, like those Karakura High School girls who had laughed at her demure black skirt and downcast eyes one afternoon.

Rei had always worked hard to suppress all those thoughts and keep them buried away where they would never see the light of day. She'd done it not out of any sense that it was wrong to hate, that it was wrong to despise and think herself superior to other people, but because she knew that no one else had those thoughts. As such, they were akin to insanity.

_You don't say things like that to other people. _

Rei had done a surprisingly good job of burying her darker side. For the most part, she was the self that everyone else saw, the quiet, intelligent girl who was inexperienced at dealing with people.

It was very rarely that she ever touched the surface of her true self. Like Aizen Sousuke, Rei wore a mask, but she wore hers out of self-preservation. And she'd kept her mask on for so long that she'd forgotten the depth of the soul beneath.

_He killed his mother, _she thought. _He could do the same to me. I should be frightened of him. Any sane person would be frightened of him. _

But what was the difference between sanity and insanity? Doubtless any human psychologist would say that both she and Aizen were mentally unstable. But that was just because normal people didn't kill their mothers, or think about killing their mothers.

She wasn't normal, and neither was Aizen. _We're better than that, _her darker side thought. _Aizen killed his mother to increase his own strength and leave his past behind. That's a perfectly logical reason, but most people wouldn't take that course of action because they'd see it as being morally repugnant. _

Rei had considered the possibility that Aizen had been lying to her about his mother to garner sympathy. But then she'd rejected the idea. Aizen's intent up until now had been to confuse her, and make her think he was a kind person. He had nothing to gain - and a lot to lose - by telling her he'd murdered his mother.

_It's because he recognised it in me, _she thought. _He knows I'm different. He knows I'm like him. _

She couldn't lie to herself. She hadn't trusted Aizen, because she'd recognised the danger that she'd worked so hard to bury within herself.

The psychological conditioning she'd given herself, that her inner darkness would get her committed somewhere with straitjackets if she ever gave it free rein, had applied to Sousuke as well. She hadn't trusted him, because she'd known exactly what he was like.

_I can be myself around him, _she thought in wonder. _I can finally let my guard down. _

That in itself was a dangerous thought. Rei knew instinctively that Aizen still wasn't to be trusted. If he was anything like the darker side of her, he'd destroy her in a heartbeat if it would benefit him.

She still didn't know for sure why he'd been trying to manipulate her, although her guess was still that he was testing her. But it was too late now, in any case. His kiss - oh, God, his beautiful kiss that had melted her defences and incinerated them down to ash - hadn't even been the clincher. It had been the knowledge that someone else was the way she was, and that it was _him, _the mysterious stranger who'd pulled her out of her routine-laden world.

'I love him,' she whispered to the empty room. 'Sousuke - I love you.'

Rei jumped, startled out of her reverie by the knocking at the door. Something about the sound bothered her, and she tried to figure out what it was. She realised that the knock hadn't been nearly violent enough to belong to Grimmjow.

_It's probably Ichimaru, _she thought to herself, opening the door.

Rei was greeted with the sight of a person dressed in white. At first she thought it was a girl. The figure was small and slender like her own, and the wide violet eyes looking at her were framed with long eyelashes and a delicate face. The person bowed, looking up again with a mocking smile on full childish lips.

'Lord Aizen wants to see you, Amane-sama. If you would come with me.' The voice was an adolescent boy's, not yet broken. Rei realised with a start that the girlish Arrancar in front of her was male.

'Of course,' she replied, managing not to stammer. Following the Arrancar, Rei was lost in thought, questions racing through her mind.

_What happened to Grimmjow? _she thought. _Why are you addressing me with that honorific, like I'm your superior? Who are you? Why does Aizen want to see me?_

_Think about it, _her darker side responded. _You know _exactly _what's happened to Grimmjow. _

Of course she did. Rei remembered their furtive conversation, Grimmjow's conviction that there were no hidden cameras in their room. Apparently he'd miscalculated.

Would Rei herself disappear, now that Aizen had concrete proof that she didn't trust him?

_It's what I'd do in his position, _she thought. _He doesn't know what I might turn out to be capable of. He doesn't know enough about my power. I could end up stabbing him in the back, as far as he knows. _

What would she do, if it was her?

_I'd either find some way to remove the threat, or neutralise it. Which means either he'll have me quietly gotten rid of, or he'll change tactics. _

Did that mean Aizen would stop pretending to…_like _her? That made Rei's stomach turn over. There was no way Aizen could genuinely have feelings for her, she knew. She'd even felt it in his kiss, his tongue moving inside her mouth and making her gasp. There had been no tenderness in that kiss, and she was kidding herself if she thought otherwise. Sousuke hadn't kissed her as if she was something that he loved. He had kissed her as if she was something that he wanted.

_Oh, so he's kissed you twice and now you're an expert? _she thought crossly to herself.

They entered the throne room, and approached the other end. As they did, the effeminate Arrancar fell back behind her. Obviously the action had been intended as subservient, but Rei only felt uneasy, as if he might stab her in the back.

She could see the Espada, standing in a line near Aizen's throne, as they had the day he'd introduced her to them. That made Rei feel a little nauseous. There was an excellent chance that she'd been summoned here so that Aizen could do something horrible to her in front of his subordinates.

Grimmjow was conspicuously absent. There was even a gap in the line, between Nnoitra and the heavily built, dark-skinned Zommari Leroux.

'Thank you for bringing Amane-chan here, Luppi. Please join the other Espada.' Rei started at the sound of his voice. Aizen appeared in front of her in a flash, nearly taking her breath away.

'Sonido?' she guessed, trying to hide the tremble in her voice at the sight of him. Part of her was still wary of him, yes, but that was all part of it, his attraction and the strange new emotion Rei felt towards him.

'Shunpo,' he corrected her, taking her hand. 'The Shinigami technique for Hohou - or fast movement - is a little different. But the effect is essentially the same.' Aizen lowered his mouth to her fingers in a kiss, and Rei nearly stumbled and fell. She caught herself before she had a chance to move.

The Arrancar who'd brought Rei into the throne room stepped forward, looking back at her as he moved into the lineup.

'Has your guide introduced himself to you, Amane-chan?' Aizen asked, straightening. Rei shook her head, and Aizen glanced at the girlish Arrancar, looking reproving. 'I was unaware your manners were so poor, Luppi.'

Luppi bowed. 'My apologies, Lord Aizen.' He glanced at Rei from under those long eyelashes, a smile on his lips that reminded her of Szayel Aporro Granz. 'I am new to Las Noches, like you, Amane-sama. I am the Sexta Espada, Luppi Antenor.'

'I thought Grimmjow-san was the Sexta Espada,' Rei dared herself to say, looking at Aizen.

Regret subtly altered the Shinigami's handsome features. 'Grimmjow has been a good servant to me, but unfortunately he has made too many blunders to be allowed to keep his rank as an Espada. Grimmjow means well, but he thought that being an Espada was dependent entirely on his power. And that, of course, is not the case.' Aizen paused, pushing his hair back with a hand. 'I rank intelligence and rational behaviour among my subordinates as well as fighting ability.'

Rei looked down the row of Arrancar. They were much as she remembered them. Coyote Starrk looked sleepy and a little bored, Lilinette Gingerback petulant, Barragan Luisenbarn solemn. Tia Harribel was impassive, Ulquiorra was as expressionless as if he'd been carved out of stone. Nnoitra's face was arrogant, looking down at her with the beginnings of a sneer. Rei quickly moved her eyes away from Luppi, and saw Szayel. The pink-haired scientist seemed out of sorts, sombre almost.

'Which leads me to you, Amane-chan.' Rei jerked, her attention commanded by Aizen once again. 'I know you are inexperienced as yet, and haven't yet spent much time in Hueco Mundo. But I have seen that you are clever, and as I have just said, I value intelligence.' Aizen stopped speaking, and a smile curved across his lips. Rei made an effort to focus on what he was saying, rather than picturing those lips kissing hers. 'I would like to place you in a position of some responsibility. My idea was to grant you command of the Espada.' He waited.

_Well, _that _was unexpected. _

Rei was completely thrown. She vaguely remembered thinking that Aizen might change his tactics as far as his behaviour towards her went, but -

This made no sense at all, even though it explained the way Luppi addressed her.

It was completely illogical, for Aizen to put someone who he knew didn't trust him in a position of power.

_Did _he know that she didn't trust him? He had to know. Why else would Grimmjow have disappeared from the ranks of the Espada? Unless Aizen had been telling the truth, and Grimmjow really had made one mistake too many.

Rei knew that wasn't the case. She'd known that he was lying when he'd said that, or at the very least only telling half the truth.

_I have no idea what he's up to, _she thought. Rei let her darker half near the surface, trying to think what her motives would be if she was in Aizen's position.

She drew a blank.

_You know what that means, _she thought, her normal self and her darker side mingling together. _If you can't figure out what he's doing, with the information available to you, then he's going to bring something else into play. He has a wild card up his sleeve. _

'I'm honoured that you trust me so much, Aizen-sama,' Rei said, stressing the word _trust, _just a little. 'But -' Although it pained her, she decided to use the argument that her mother had so often used on her. 'I'm only sixteen,' she said, wincing a little on the inside. 'Would you really want someone inexperienced like me giving orders to your strongest subordinates?'

'An excellent question, Amane-chan.' Aizen's voice had that melted-chocolate tone to it again. 'Please allow me to ask you one in return. Do you think of yourself as inexperienced?'

Rei couldn't lie, and didn't want to. 'No,' she said, with as much conviction as if it had been Amane Julia asking her. 'I don't.'

'Please don't worry if you're unsure,' he continued. 'You still have time to decide. I have given a group of the Espada orders of my own to leave for the real world on a mission in a week. If you wish, you may wait until then to offer me an answer.'

Rei shook her head. 'Thank you, Aizen-sama, but that won't be necessary.' She'd made up her mind. She'd wanted to become stronger, and here she was being offered a position of power. From that perspective alone, she'd be crazy not to say yes.

She had no clue what Aizen's motives might be, but she had an idea that accepting his offer was a good way to find out. He was bound to reveal his real reason for asking her sooner or later if she played along. So playing along was exactly what she was going to do.

'It'd be an honour to lead the Espada,' Rei said.

Aizen smiled at that. 'Excellent. In that case, please think of all ten Espada -' he raised an arm, moving it along the line, '- as your direct subordinates. Of course, if my lieutenant or I have orders of our own for the Espada, we will pass them on to you, Amane-chan. Other than the two of us, you need answer to no one in Las Noches. The Espada have lesser Arrancar as their personal subordinates, so of course you will indirectly have charge of those as well.' He leaned forward, kissing her on the cheek.

Something about that kiss made Rei feel odd on the inside. Of course her skin burned where Sousuke's lips had touched her, but that was a matter of course. Even when he'd taken her back to her room that time and kissed her on the cheek, Rei had felt - or imagined she felt - that he'd wanted her.

But now - there was no way to mistake desire in the small, simple kiss Aizen had just planted on her cheek. He could have given that to his sister - if he had a sister - and it wouldn't have been inappropriate at all.

Rei told herself she was being silly. _No, you're being an idiot, _logic snapped back at her. _He had his tongue in your mouth yesterday - that was hardly platonic. You're imagining things. It's not like you have a lot of experience here. _

That was true, even though it sounded like Julia. Rei breathed deeply, and felt Luppi Antenor's eyes on her. As soon as she met his gaze, Luppi smiled innocently.

Rei didn't buy it for a second. And she definitely didn't like the idea that this Arrancar, who looked more like a cross-dressing prepubescent boy, had replaced Grimmjow.

She was going to have to tread even more carefully now. Being in love with Aizen Sousuke was dangerous for her, particularly since Rei knew her affections weren't returned. She knew that if she made one wrong move, if she tried to uncover what he was really up to and chose the wrong moment to do it, then her precious Sousuke-kun would make her disappear.

Just like Grimmjow, and just like his mother. Despite that, Rei felt no fear towards Lord Aizen.

After all, he would only be doing what she would have done in his position.

* * *

EWWWWWWWWWWW…Luppi.

That's going to get really old really fast, but it's how I feel. He makes me cringe a little bit every time I see him. I don't know how the hell he has fangirls. I mean, at least Szayel having fangirls is kind of understandable. He's attractive in a way, even though he's sick and twisted. And I noticed while rewatching Bleach that he has nice hands. Even if he does use those hands to destroy people's organs.

But freaking _Luppi - _that's just gross. It'd be like wanting to make out with your little brother, dressed in drag.

OH GOD why did I do that to myself that mental image IT BURNS.

Anyway…that's enough Luppi hate from me. I have an important question, which I'm going to ask everyone next chapter.


	30. Devil's Chess Game Part V

I decided that Rei's singing voice is like Sharon den Adel's from Within Temptation, but couldn't really think of who could be Aizen (apart from Aizen himself, that is). I thought Ville Valo from HIM at first, a little bit, but then changed my mind.

Singing! Aizen has to be Maynard James Keenan from A Perfect Circle. That man has got the voice of an angel. If Sharon den Adel and Maynard James Keenan ever did a duet, it would be fucking amazing.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 30

Devil's Chess Game

* * *

Part V:

**A Cautionary Tale - White Queen Captured (End of Innocence)**

_

* * *

You'll never know the way your words have haunted me_

_I can't believe you'd ask these things of me_

_You don't know me_

…

_You belong to me,_

_My snow white queen. _

_There's nowhere to run, so let's just get it over_

_Soon I know you'll see_

_You're just like me_

_Don't scream any more, my love, cause all I want is you_

…

_All your hands on me, _

_I can't scream, I can't scream. _

_I can't escape the twisted way you think of me_

_I feel you in my dreams and I don't sleep. _

**-Snow White Queen, Evanescence**

The smell of blood was no stranger to Szayel Aporro Granz. The halogen lights in his laboratory could testify to that. He had presided over countless vivisections, the products of which were stored in specimen jars even now. Some of his subjects had even been alive, where it was convenient.

What was _post mortem _called, if it was carried out before the subject was dead? _Ante mortem _perhaps? It had seemed a flowery turn of phrase to Szayel, for such a grotesque end to a life.

But then, none of his live autopsies had ever seemed grotesque to him. He was a scientist, after all, and when practising his art he was as free of conscience or morality as it was possible to be. It was not the hardening of a heart, because Szayel had never had a heart to begin with. It was nothing so trivial.

He had simply been born without a conscience, and had chosen to use that attribute to its best advantage in his existence as an Arrancar.

Or so he'd believed.

Szayel lay the needle aside, removing his surgical gloves. Grimmjow relaxed, the tension in his arms and back subsiding. Tousen Kaname had cut out the Sexta tattoo, and he had cut unnecessarily deep. That wound - and the stab wound through the lower ribcage - had been bleeding profusely when Tousen had delivered Grimmjow to Szayel's palace.

'Aizen-sama wants you to give him medical attention,' the dark-skinned Shinigami had ordered with an expression of distaste on his face, as if to distance himself from any small mercy his superior chose to offer the fallen Espada.

To Szayel's surprise, Grimmjow had gone silently to his laboratory. To his greater surprise, he'd stitched the former Sexta Espada's injuries in silence. Not so long ago he would have made a snide remark, or at least taken the opportunity to gloat. _Pride goeth before a fall, _after all.

But Szayel had been uncharacteristically sober of late, and he knew why. It was all that woman's fault. Although he himself cared nothing for her, she was opening it all up again.

The ability to lie was a skill required to survive in Las Noches, and Szayel was as much a liar as anyone else. He couldn't pretend to be a perfect researcher, wholly objective to whatever information was presented to him.

He couldn't pretend, because there were things he chose not to remember.

'Done?' Grimmjow's voice was rough with pain and exhaustion.

'Yes. I'd tell you not to strain the injuries, but I'd be wasting my time,' Szayel remarked dryly, watching the other Arrancar stand.

Instead of heading out the door, as Szayel expected him to do, Grimmjow turned to look at him. 'What was the meeting about?' he asked.

A little surprised, Szayel pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. 'Nothing in particular. That woman you were guarding for Aizen-sama is to lead the Espada. Apart from that, nothing.' That would probably be safe enough, if Aizen did happen to be eavesdropping.

Grimmjow's face darkened. 'I can't bear to fuckin' watch it,' he muttered, walking out. 'We all know what's going to happen.'

The door slammed behind him.

Szayel knew he should be glad of Grimmjow's absence. He had work to do, after all. His new superior had requested that Szayel give her ongoing access to the live video feed, as well as all recordings, from the cameras positioned around Las Noches and throughout Hueco Mundo. Szayel couldn't blame her, really. Of course she wanted to know where all the cameras were.

Not that it would help her in the end.

'Shit,' he whispered aloud to the laboratory. Amane Rei was doomed. And Szayel couldn't help but remember Tia Harribel, try as he might not to.

It seemed that he couldn't remember a time when he'd had a conscience, before her. That lack of sympathetic feeling had been partly why Szayel had had no qualms about helping to bring down Neliel Tu Oderschvank. Neliel had always mildly irritated him, with the way she seemed to care about her Fracción and her distaste towards violence. Szayel had never cared about his own subordinates - he'd modified them so that he could eat them to regenerate himself. Such things were necessary, and altruism was out of place in an Espada, a weakness even. It benefited himself and Nnoitra and even Aizen-sama to topple an altruistic Espada from her place as the Tres.

It hadn't taken Lord Aizen long to create a replacement with the Hougyoku. The new Tres Espada was a Vasto Lorde, and as such was more than capable of defending herself against anyone who tried to depose her. Nnoitra had made no motion to take her down as he had with Neliel. He hadn't needed to - he'd gotten his place as the Quinta with the reshuffling of the Espada ranks. Szayel had been happy enough to leave the newcomer be as well. He was Octava again, and was unlikely to rise any higher. And a Vasto Lorde was a formidable opponent, even without the modification provided by the Hougyoku.

He hadn't expected to develop an attraction towards Tia Harribel.

It couldn't be denied that she was superficially beautiful, even though the lower half of her face was concealed by her Hollow mask. But then Neliel Tu Oderschvank hadn't been unattractive either, and Szayel hadn't felt the slightest stirring of emotion in him when he'd looked at her.

He was a scientist. He wasn't supposed to feel anything of the sort, especially not for a fellow Espada. But Tia Harribel -

The best word Szayel could find to describe it was unattainability, but it was so much more than that. She had seemed _above _everyone somehow, not in terms of power but in another more abstract sense, as if nothing could touch her. She had always carried herself with the strength and grace and inner conviction of nobility, or even royalty perhaps. Tia Harribel had never spoken to Szayel. He knew nothing about her personal philosophies, except that she signified death by sacrifice. Even that seemed nobler and purer than that of the other Espada. And science was all about a search for purity of truth, of knowledge. Tia Harribel signified, at least to Szayel, that which he was destined to spend his life trying to achieve but never quite making it, the alchemist trying to turn base metal into gold.

He supposed he had worshipped her, in a sense. That was why it was so hard to remember, or even believe, that she had been defiled by Lord Aizen.

There had been a gathering of the Espada, and Aizen had entered the room where they were seated. He had moved to the head of the table, pausing for a moment behind Harribel's chair, and even then Szayel had known what he was going to do. His suspicions had been confirmed when Aizen had dismissed the other Espada, asking Harribel to remain behind.

Szayel had forced it upon himself afterwards. He had watched them through the cameras, heading to Aizen's rooms, Harribel holding herself stiffly apart despite the Shinigami's hand on her shoulder. She had known what was coming, and so had he.

And so Szayel's heart, which he had believed didn't exist, had broken.

It had broken anew every time he had seen her, looked at the shame in her eyes. She had been unable to say no, because it was Aizen. And Szayel's idol, her purity, that sense that she couldn't be touched by anything so mortal as a man, had shattered into a thousand pieces.

Szayel had tried his best to forget, and had for the most part succeeded. He had buried himself in experiments, in dissection, in blood.

_No one can be protected from Aizen-sama. _

He had managed to remove the memory, as best as he could, and now history was going to repeat itself in the form of Amane Rei.

_I can't bear to fuckin' watch it. _Amane's downfall was as unavoidable as an impending collision. Aizen would use her up too, just as he had Tia Harribel. And after that Amane would be disposed of. Harribel was a Vasto Lorde Espada. Of course Aizen had kept her.

But Amane - as far as Szayel could tell, she was useless to Aizen-sama, except as an interesting curiosity. His interest would eventually run out, and then the rest would be history.

'Shit,' he whispered again, with more vehemence this time. Szayel wasn't usually given to sympathy, but he pitied Grimmjow.

He knew how it felt to have Lord Aizen destroy something pure, right in front of his eyes.

* * *

I almost made myself cry writing that. Poor Szayel, and poor Harribel. I actually managed to make myself feel sorry for Szayel.

And poor Grimmjow. Poor, poor Grimmkitty. I must be a horrible person. I'm going to hell for all the stuff I'm putting the Espada through.

I'm pretty happy with the way this mini-arc (Devil's Chess Game) is going. There is going to be much awesomeness next chapter (hopefully). Orihime's coming in soon, and shit's gonna get real.

*DRUMROLL PLZ*

I should probably warn everyone, especially those of you who are Orihime fans. I really, really don't like her. Imo, she should get in the kitchen and make Aizen-sama a sammich. She annoys the crap out of me, and I'm going to try and be professional and stuff and not let this bias the way I write her. (I liked the episode where she slapped Ulquiorra, because she actually had a backbone. I can't stand IchiHime because she's all "Kurosaki-kun! Kurosaki-kun!" Me: DEATH NAO PLZ. This is why I get along with UlquiHime, and don't mind AiHime, because she's a lot more interesting in those two pairings than in IchiHime.) Although I personally like IshiHime and think it's adorable.

Okay, I will get off my soapbox now and stop spamming everyone with my pairing opinions. That's if you cared enough to read the above paragraph. (You probably didn't.)


	31. Devil's Chess Game Part VI

So now for the super-important question I was going to ask everyone last chapter but totally forgot about, because I had such a damn good day yesterday and was in a happy bubble…

This is in relation to the mature-rated content of this story. Thus far, it's been rated M for the following: swearing, some violence, some blood and gore, plus the autopsy scene and some implied sexual content (such as Harribel's rape).

The question I want to ask everybody is this: do we want a lemon?

I did kind of intend to bring lemon in somewhere in the story, hence the M rating. And rating stuff M gives me more room to move, so to speak - I don't have to worry about what I can and can't put in, there's no restrictions really. I know there are people out there who get grossed out by lemon fics and tend to avoid them, which is fair enough - there's a lot of very, very badly written sex out there. In particular, people seem to get yaoi lemon wrong. There are very few yaoi lemons that I have read and not cringed at. I don't have a problem with yaoi pairings as such - it just seems like the majority of people who write them are all like 'Wow that's hot' rather than actually trying to write a decent story. And half of the time it's really not hot, the way they write it. I'm pretty sure everyone knows by now, but there aren't going to be any yaoi pairings in this story.

So leave a review or something to let me know where you stand on the matter. If too many people are violently opposed to lemons, I'll probably censor it or something. (And I swear this is not a shameless trick on my part to get reviews. Honestly.)

* * *

Aizen: *sidles in, with his sneaky face on*

Me: *without turning around* I can see you, you know.

Aizen: Don't you want MY opinion on the matter?

Me: Not really, no. It's up to the readers.

Aizen: Because I think you should give me lemon. *rape face*

Me: You're not exactly unbiased. It's probably you who's going to get lemony with Rei.

Aizen: Which is why I think there should be lemon. *grins*

Me: *throws pillow at him* LEAVE. I'M TRYING TO WRITE.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

_

* * *

Fourth Movement:_

_**Dark Passion Play**_

* * *

Chapter 31

Devil's Chess Game

_**

* * *

Part VI:**_

_**Decoy and Assassin**_

_

* * *

Everyone must bury their own_

_No pack to bury the heart of stone_

_Now he's home in hell, serves him well_

_Slain by the bell_

_Tolling for his farewell. _

**-The Poet and the Pendulum, Nightwish**

Rei tapped the computer screen.

It wasn't like she'd expected the camera footage to be particularly useful. Obviously Aizen would know where all the cameras were. He was hardly going to do anything on camera that he wouldn't do in front of her. It wouldn't take much for him to figure out that she had access to the video feed now. All he would have to do was ask Szayel.

_As an Espada, Szayel is duty-bound to report to me whenever he feels there is something I should know. _

Rei's guess was that Szayel served as a spy for Aizen, and it was more than likely that Szayel wasn't the only Espada reporting back to Aizen about her. Rei thought, trying to pick who the others could be.

Ulquiorra was definitely loyal to Aizen. That much was obvious. For the short time when he'd been serving as her guardian rather than Grimmjow, everything that had come out of Ulquiorra's mouth had been preceded by _Aizen-sama this _or _Aizen-sama that. _Rei didn't really know enough about any of the other Espada to judge whether or not they were spying on her for Aizen.

Except, perhaps, for Grimmjow.

_Could _Grimmjow be a spy? Rei remembered him saying that he wasn't a good liar.

Grimmjow had been the one inhabitant of Hueco Mundo that Rei had been able to feel comfortable around. It seemed like something Aizen would do, to plant a double agent and have him get close to her.

But Rei quickly spotted the holes in that theory. Grimmjow had made it clear that taking care of her had been some sort of punishment for him, punishment for leaving Hueco Mundo without permission she guessed. She hadn't believed Aizen when he'd blamed Tousen for the loss of Grimmjow's arm. Rei had still been convinced Aizen himself had done it. That would mean that Aizen had cut off his subordinate's arm on the gamble that Rei would let her guard down around Grimmjow.

That seemed _very _far-fetched, and more than a little paranoid. _I'm a sixteen-year-old human, _Rei thought to herself in irritation. _Why would he go to such lengths to spy on me? Why would he bother? Anyway, he has cameras everywhere. _

Even, she had hypothesised, in her bedroom.

Although Grimmjow had had a point. It seemed a little uncharacteristic of Aizen, from what she knew of him, to install video surveillance equipment in a minor's room. It was very much at odds with the courteous, gentlemanly image he always presented to her.

_But that's just it, _she thought. _It's an image. I know what he's really like. _

Her face grew very warm at that.

If Aizen did have electronic eyes in her room, then he would have heard her little confession.

_Sousuke - I love you. _

Rei's cheeks burned. 'How could I have been so _stupid?_' she muttered to herself, not looking at the computer screen any more. If anything, the thought that Aizen had heard her say it was more embarrassing than the thought that he'd probably seen her naked.

But then she didn't know that he had. It was just a theory, a likely theory at that, but still a theory.

_I'm making my own head spin, _Rei thought to herself. _I have to stop jumping at shadows. _If_ he heard me say that, then he knows and there's nothing I can do about it now. I should stop cooking up conspiracy theories which might or might not be true. _

She needed more information to be able to piece a picture together, which brought her back to her earlier idea.

It was time to do some spying of her own.

Rei had finally mastered Kyokko, practising various Kidou in her room for five days straight despite the suspicion that Aizen was watching her. Even if he was, he would have already known about Kyokko, seen her open the book at that page. There was nothing to lose by practising where he might or might not be able to see her.

At first Rei hadn't been game to stay inside too long. There was a good chance Aizen would call for her again, after all, and she didn't want to have to answer any awkward questions about how she'd spent the day.

But he hadn't, and that worried her. It made her anxious, not as a suspicious opponent, but as a girl in love.

_Why doesn't he want to see me any more? _she'd thought anxiously, and then the dark voice in the back of her head had laughed at her. _You picked the wrong man to fall in love with, _it had sneered.

_I didn't choose him, _Rei had replied, taking that dark part and merging it with the rest of her. _You did. _

Now she was just like Aizen Sousuke, and he was just like her. And she had no qualms whatsoever about employing the same methods he was.

Rei had even chosen a time to use Kyokko. She was going to wait until after the group of Espada - whoever they might be - had returned from their mission. Then she would have some opportunity to figure out whether the mission had succeeded, and what Aizen had been trying to achieve. There was no point doing it while the Espada were gone.

Rei inspected the computer screen again in the hope that she'd see something interesting. The apparatus she'd been given resembled a laptop computer from the human world, only much thinner and lighter. Szayel had told her that the camera footage was sent wirelessly first to her device, then to his own computer system at her discretion since she was his superior. Rei had discovered that it was possible to edit the camera footage she sent on to Szayel. That had made her smile, rather cynically. _He's made it possible for me to hide information from him, _she thought. _That doesn't surprise me in the slightest. _The device also functioned as a normal computer with Internet access, which _had_ surprised her. _I wonder if Ichimaru and Aizen have Facebook accounts, _Rei thought, and giggled to herself.

She spotted Luppi Antenor on the screen, and her pulse quickened. Rei checked the location at the lower corner of the frame, and relaxed. He was a fair few corridors away from her.

Stretching her legs over the edge of her bed, Rei felt a tingling numbness in her toes. She'd spent nearly the whole day in her room again. Rei decided to go for a walk. After all, no one had told her that she couldn't leave her room without an Espada.

She folded the computer away, walking out the door. Almost as soon as she'd left the room, Rei was struck by a sense of apathy. She had no particular desire to go anywhere or do anything in Las Noches.

She glanced to her left, and saw blue hair out of the corner of her eye. _Grimmjow, _she thought, feeling a momentary surge of relief. He hadn't disappeared after all. The former Espada looked up at her, as if he wanted to come closer. In the end, he nodded to her and moved on, disappearing in a Sonido. That made Rei want to go back to her room.

Nevertheless, she kept walking. There was nothing better to do, and she'd worn herself out a lot over the past few days with Kidou.

After working solidly on Kyokko for the first day and a half, Rei had managed to successfully perform it. She'd moved on to more Hadou after that, working her way up to Shakkahou again. To her surprise she'd mastered that one relatively quickly, but had had to keep it small for fear of damaging anything inside her room. Rei had managed to do a few more after that, including one called Soukatsui which had a similar effect to Shakkahou. The incantations were curiously beautiful, almost lyrical. She'd moved through the pages of higher-level Hadou, just reading the incantations.

The book only went up to 90, which had puzzled Rei. She clearly remembered Aizen saying that the spell levels ranged all the way up to 99. Rei made a mental note to ask him about it the next time she saw him.

_That's if I _do _see him again, _she thought, subdued.

Her heart jumped into her throat. It was like the old pain, irregular spasms which had convulsed through the right side of her chest for ten minutes or more when she'd been real. Rei thought for a moment that she was back in her physical body.

The feeling subsided, but the sight of Luppi Antenor approaching her did not. Rei blinked a couple of times, as if she could make him fade away.

_What's wrong? _she asked herself, in her newer, colder, harder internal voice. _It's like you fear him. _

But that was incorrect. The squirming in her chest when she looked at the effeminate Arrancar wasn't the product of fear. Rei disliked Luppi, even though she hadn't exchanged more than a few words with him.

It was because he looked at her the way Szayel had in the beginning, but it was different. Szayel had looked at everyone in Las Noches in that way at some point. Rei knew enough about the Octava Espada to figure that much out. It was, so to speak, nothing personal.

But the new Sexta Espada's lechery was directed solely at her. Rei's skin felt cold, looking at that childish - almost pretty - face, regarding her as a cat might regard a particularly appetising mouse.

He disappeared, and Rei breathed in sharply when he reappeared near her in a Sonido.

'Is something wrong, Amane-sama?' His voice held that artificial note of deference. 'You don't look like you wanted to run into me.' Luppi smiled at that, exposing small sharp teeth.

'That's because I didn't,' Rei replied coldly. She was in no mood to return his false friendliness. He was her subordinate, after all. She could be rude to him if she wanted.

'Oh?' Luppi's eyes, framed with their long girlish lashes, widened. He smiled coyly. 'Have I displeased you, Amane-sama?'

'Surely you've got something better to be doing with your time than idly walking through Las Noches.' Rei's reply was tart, avoiding his question. On the inside she cursed Luppi Antenor for managing to wander so close to her room.

'Sorry, Amane-sama. I don't.' Luppi gazed at her. His eyes moved down to her chin, wandering over her body, and Rei felt uncomfortably exposed. 'I'm pretty bored. That's why I came over here as soon as I sensed your reiatsu.' To her disgust, he licked his lips.

'I'd like to be alone.' Rei glared at him, trying to make the look imperious. Luppi was the same height as her, which made it difficult. 'Leave me, Sexta.'

'What if I don't want to, Amane-sama?' Luppi looked at her from under his eyelashes, smirking.

Rei swallowed. 'What you want doesn't matter,' she snapped. 'All _you _should be paying attention to is what _I _want.'

'But that's just what I'm going to do, Amane-sama.' Luppi took a step forward. Rei realised, with a twinge, that they were close to the wall. That vague sense of apprehension didn't have time to develop into a decision to run. Luppi's hands were on her shoulders, pushing her back against the cool marble.

Rei struggled, uselessly. Despite his size, Luppi was strong, and she couldn't move away. 'Get your hands off me,' she commanded, trying to hide her fear and revulsion.

Luppi smiled again. 'But I'm paying attention to what you want, Amane-sama.' He giggled, and Rei's pulse raced in horror as his body moved closer to hers. 'You're not very strong, are you, Amane-sama? Wow, I wonder why Lord Aizen picked you to be our commander. Maybe he wanted to see how long you'd last.' That awful childish giggle came out a second time. 'If you be good and don't try to scratch me, I'll try not to crush you against the wall when we fuck, Amane-sama.' There was less than ten centimetres between them by now, Rei guessed, her mind moving at terrified speed. Her whole body cried out in opposition to Luppi's thigh, moving between her own legs to part them.

'You aren't too bad-looking,' he told her, in his high-pitched adolescent's voice. 'Although you're a bit flat for my tastes, Amane-sama.' One of his hands moved away from her shoulder, fingers like spiders creeping their way down her sternum and pressing cruelly into her breast.

Rei forced herself to look into his eyes, and let the darkest parts of her new merged self come to the surface. _I'm not a scared sixteen-year-old girl any more, _she managed to think calmly despite the situation. _I love Aizen Sousuke. That means I've abandoned fear. _

'What's the matter, Amane-sama?' Luppi was giggling again. 'Have I displeased you?' Rei felt his breath on her face, warm and cloying. 'I don't think you'd win if you tried to fight me. Don't try, unless you want to come out of this broken into lots of tiny pieces.'

'Go ahead,' she said levelly. 'Do it. I'm not stopping you. It's as you say. _I'm _too weak to do anything about it.'

Luppi looked taken aback at that. Obviously he hadn't expected consent, however blunt and grudging.

Rei continued. 'It's disappointing that any subordinate of mine could really be this stupid.' She stared at him, trying to bore into his skull with her gaze. 'But I suppose it can't be helped.'

Luppi's face tightened into anger. 'Bitch,' he snarled. The hand that was still on Rei's shoulder tightened its grip, fingers digging into her flesh. Rei had to force herself not to gasp in pain. 'I didn't know you liked talking out your ass, Amane-sama.' He bared his teeth. 'I suppose I'll be the first to see if you like being fucked up there as well.'

Rei did her best to copy Aizen's smile, the dark smile. 'You want to be my first, do you?' she said simply. 'I should think that Aizen-sama would have something to say about that.'

Luppi laughed his child's laugh again. 'Lord Aizen doesn't give a shit what happens to you,' he said condescendingly. 'Whatever you think, Amane-sama, you're just a woman. He can get another one any time he wants.'

Rei ignored the edge of truth in his words. 'That may be.' Her response was cool, as if she was participating in some intellectual debate rather than trying to dissuade a potential rapist. 'I won't deny that Aizen-sama could replace me if he wanted. What Aizen-sama wants, Aizen-sama gets. Would you deny that I am Aizen-sama's subordinate, and hence his property?'

'Like I said, he doesn't care. You've fallen from Lord Aizen's graces, Amane-sama.' His smile was just as condescending as his voice had been.

'But I'm still his property, aren't I?' Aizen's smile came more easily to her now. That was to be expected, Rei supposed. After all, she had acknowledged the part of her that was the same as him. 'It seems rather presumptuous of you to attempt to claim Lord Aizen's property for your own. I don't know what you call it here, but in the human world that's stealing.'

'What Aizen-sama doesn't know won't hurt him, Amane-chan.' Luppi's violet eyes were menacing, but she could feel him beginning to falter. He was staying still, rather than trying to push her further. 'I'm a good liar.'

'Good for you.' Rei knew she could just mention the cameras, and this whole nightmare would be over. But that relied on the assumption that Luppi would believe her. And in any case, she was -

As strange as it was, she was enjoying manipulating him. She was fairly sure that she'd succeeded. Rei had an idea that if Luppi had really been likely to rape her, then it would have happened as soon as she'd been pressed against the wall, or shortly after. She hid her cringe at the scenario in her mind.

'I'd like to ask you a question, if I could, Sexta.' Rei's voice was light, courteous, just as Aizen's always was. 'You mentioned something before about me being too weak to fight you, and I agreed that that was the case.'

'So what?' Luppi's voice was impatient, petulant even.

'I lied.' Rei smiled _his _smile again, Aizen's mask, letting her darkness ascend through. 'You don't seriously think Aizen-sama would choose someone weak to command his subordinates, do you? You think yourself stronger than me because you have a Zanpakutou, and I don't.' She paused. 'There's a reason I don't have a Zanpakutou. Being able to unmake matter itself renders a Zanpakutou a bit redundant, doesn't it?' She reached out with her mind then, feeling for the spirit particles in Luppi's left hand, the one that was on her chest.

Rei had never tried this before. She had no idea if it would work, but she seemed to be able to sense the particles well enough. They were a little more difficult to manipulate than those from the air, of course, but soon Luppi pulled away from her, staring at his hand in wide-eyed horror.

'You bitch!' he shrieked, as his finger folded over on itself at an unnatural angle.

'It's interesting to watch, isn't it?' Rei commented. 'I can do that to any part of your body. What would you like to see next, Sexta Espada? I can make your internal organs change shape, if I want. I can make your eyes come out of your head. Wouldn't that be amusing?'

Luppi wrenched his gaze away from his hand, glaring at her. He was furious. Rei could feel it in his reiatsu, burning and crushing and at the same time oily, trying to overwhelm her. She hoped he couldn't sense the barefaced lie she'd just told him.

'Fuck.' The profanity echoed through the air. He stalked away, stopping at the end of the corridor to look back at her with enraged eyes. Rei wanted to laugh. He looked like a spoiled child that had been deprived of a coveted toy.

'Bitch. That trick won't work on Aizen-sama!' Luppi's eyes held more than a little insanity. 'No trick's _ever _worked on him. He'll just do what I tried to do. And he'll succeed, you little shit!'

Rei raised an eyebrow. 'Leave me, Sexta Espada,' she ordered. 'Don't make me have to tell you a third time.'

Luppi scowled at her one last time, and stomped off.

Even through the initial elated mix of relief and victory, Rei knew she couldn't possibly leave it at that. Luppi would probably try again. And even if he didn't, letting his little act of insubordination go unpunished would make her look weak. Luppi would eventually call her bluff. Rei knew she definitely wasn't capable of affecting his entire body as she'd just affected his finger.

It was clear she was going to have to get rid of him somehow.

Rei pondered the matter as she walked back to her room, a distant part of her feeling a little surprised at herself. Not ten minutes ago she'd felt butterflies - and not the good kind either - in her stomach at the sight of Luppi Antenor on a computer screen. And now she was calmly contemplating killing him.

The rest of her was relatively unmoved. Of course, she'd been that way her entire life. She'd just never chosen to embrace it until now.

She certainly couldn't kill Luppi Antenor directly, and anyway, that would be too obvious. Chances were Aizen wouldn't be too happy with her if she killed one of his Espada. Rei didn't want to run to her superior - the man she loved - either, and ask him to deal with Luppi. That idea offended her pride.

No. Someone else would have to do it.

But who?

Rei mulled it over, entering her room. She opened up the computer again, absentmindedly going through the footage all over Las Noches.

She saved the file of the recording of Luppi attempting to rape her. On another part of the screen, she glimpsed Grimmjow. The blue-haired Arrancar wasn't too far away from her, standing at the end of the long corridor which her room opened on to. Clearly Luppi wasn't the only one who'd been bored in Las Noches.

Why was Grimmjow hanging around her room? His intentions couldn't be the same as Luppi's. Again, Rei's argument against that was opportunity. Like Aizen, Grimmjow had had multiple opportunities to take advantage of her if he'd so wished.

Unlike Aizen, Grimmjow was a lot easier to read. Rei guessed that he felt sorry for her - at the very least.

It dawned on her then, and she smiled Aizen's smile entirely without conscious effort.

Rei opened up the video file she'd just saved, preparing it for file transfer to the computers in Szayel's laboratory. She did the same with all the other cameras, taking videorecordings all from the same time range.

This had to look like she had no idea how to selectively choose certain video files and send them on to him. When her unwitting assassin saw the video clip pop up on the screen, it had to look entirely like Rei had sent it on by accident. She didn't want Luppi's death to be traced back to her.

She even had an excuse ready. Szayel had started work on a smaller, handheld version of the computer at her request, which would allow her to view the recordings for any camera which she happened to be in the vicinity of. She would say that she wanted to check on his progress.

Rei was almost done. She made a special addition to the attempted rape video file, setting it up to self-delete if Szayel tried to forward the file to anyone else.

Luppi had been right. What Aizen didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

Finished, Rei stood up.

It was time to set her plan into motion.

* * *

Amane has a 'plan' too. :O Le gasp.

I loved writing her trolling Luppi. Luppi got pwned, and it was so reminiscent of Aizen trolling Grimmjow that it wasn't funny. (At least to me.)

Luppi = Epic Fail in this chapter.

By the way, who watched episode 293 of the anime? Aizen was TOTALLY AWESOME. Epic ownage of everyone and everything. I clapped at the end. And if you want to know which one of Aizen's faces Rei was copying in this chapter? The screenshot at the end of that episode, with Aizen's Bitch Grin of Doom. The one where he looks like he's going to rape somebody. (Although it's not rape if it's Aizen.) Basically you would not want to run into anyone doing this face in a dark alley.

Rei made that face at Luppi. So basically Luppi fails at raping people, because he got pwned by _Amane's Rape Face. _

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL….

Aizen: She learnt from the best. *Bitch Grins*

Me: *nosebleeds* You really _have _to stop doing that…

Now I'm going to go to bed. It's two in the morning, and I have work tomorrow.


	32. Devil's Chess Game Part VII

Aargh. Can't be stuffed writing this chapter, even though I know it's important. I want to write part 8 of Devil's Chess Game, because that has Aizen in it. And it's going to have a Perfect Circle lyric.

* * *

Aizen: What are you doing? Leave Grimmjow out of the story. He isn't anywhere near as awesome as me.

Me: Stop it, you evil sexy man. I'm trying to write and you're distracting me.

Aizen: I distract you all the time. You just don't know about it.

Me: Not true. You don't distract me when I sleep.

Aizen: *evil grins* Yes I do. That's just Kyouka Suigetsu making you _think _that you're asleep.

Me: And the point of distracting me while concealing the fact that you're being distracting _from_ me is…?

Aizen: It's all part of my plan.

Me: So coming into my room, while I'm asleep, and using your goddamn SWORD on me, is part of your plan?

Aizen: Don't pretend you don't like it. You just wish you were awake.

Me: O_o

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 32

Devil's Chess Game

_**

* * *

Part VII:**_

_**Played for a Fool**_

_

* * *

You're a thief and a witch_

_But I love you to death_

_You steal my heart and_

_Curse under your breath;_

_But the one thing that I will most willingly prove_

_Is that when you are gone,_

_I'll be fine without you. _

**-Do It For Me Now, Angels and Airwaves**

'Fuck.'

Grimmjow whispered it under his breath. Hopefully the cameras everywhere couldn't pick it up, even if Aizen's electronic eyes could see his mouth moving.

She had him. Fuck it all. She fucking _had _him.

He was Amane's subordinate now. He was even following an order she'd given him right now, for fuck's sake. But that wasn't the only hold she had over him.

Grimmjow recalled the conversation, loathing himself as he relived the memory.

She had approached him. Despite sensing her reiatsu, Grimmjow had made no attempt to evade her. He hadn't wanted to.

Perhaps some stupid part of him had thought that he could persuade her away from his master. Whatever way he looked at it, any time Amane spent in his presence was time she wasn't spending with Aizen.

If Grimmjow tried to get involved any further, if he tried to actively prevent Amane from falling for Aizen, he was asking to get himself killed. He knew that. But then he'd always been one to throw caution to the wind.

So he'd let Amane walk towards him, down the corridor. As she'd gotten closer, Grimmjow had been able to tell straight away that something was wrong. The woman's arms had been folded around her body, tightly as if she was hugging herself. She'd looked paler than usual, her eyelids lowered.

'Grimmjow-san,' she'd greeted him quietly, her voice subdued.

'What?' he'd responded, his voice gruffer than he'd intended.

It had taken her a while to reply. 'Spit it out, dumbass,' Grimmjow had ordered, folding his own arms and glaring at her.

Even that hadn't managed to induce a smile. 'Would you do something for me, please, Grimmjow-san?' She had spent the entire time looking away from him, down at her feet. 'Szayel-san was working on something for me in his palace. Would you go and ask him if it's ready yet?'

'Why don't you do it yourself?' Behind the scornful reply, Grimmjow had been phrasing the question seriously. It wasn't that far to the Octava's part of Las Noches from where they'd been standing. He was pretty sure Amane knew the way there. More importantly, he'd been trying to get at the reason behind her fragile, almost ill appearance. He wanted to know what was wrong with her.

She'd chewed her lip then. 'I don't want to walk too far away from my room,' she'd murmured, almost whispering. 'I might - get lost. And I trust you, Grimmjow-san.'

Grimmjow hadn't bought that pathetic attempt at an excuse for a minute. He'd wanted to press for an answer, but something about the way Amane had been standing persuaded him not to.

'Fine. You're the boss. And it's not like I've got anything better to do.' Grimmjow had shrugged, moving away from her. As he'd done it he'd felt a conflicting urge, an intangible force pulling him back towards Amane.

He still wanted to protect her. But again, it was more than that. Grimmjow wanted to usurp Aizen, not on the throne of Hueco Mundo, but in Amane's heart.

_Don't think that soppy romantic bullshit, _he told himself half-heartedly, trying to swallow the ring of truth. Grimmjow swore under his breath again, wanting the words to go away.

Thoughts like that were what had gotten him kicked out of the Espada, deposed by that freak Luppi. But those thoughts couldn't be erased out of his head that easily.

If Aizen thought pain would cure him, the Shinigami had been wrong. Amane was too deeply ingrained in Grimmjow for that.

_I don't want that fucker kissing you, _he thought in disgust. _I want it to be me. And I don't need Aizen or his precious lieutenant to tell me that it's fuckin' stupid and just plain wrong to think like that. _

She was a human and he was a Hollow. It _was_ plain wrong, and he couldn't hide behind the appearance of humanity like Aizen could. He had a hole in him, the hole which should have been there instead of a heart. Grimmjow couldn't smile softly and fake kindness like Aizen could.

There was no way he could ever replace Aizen, and it was futile to even think about Amane. But Grimmjow couldn't stop himself.

He recalled the Quinta's words.

_He doesn't love her or some crap like that. _

What would Nnoitra think of Grimmjow if he knew that Lilinette hadn't been full of shit?

Grimmjow was sick of thinking. He moved towards Szayel Aporro Granz's rooms in silence, eventually losing patience and slipping into Sonido.

He appeared in the door of the Octava's laboratory, scowling.

Szayel was sitting in front of several computer screens. He turned around, and alarm bells started ringing in Grimmjow's head.

The expression on Szayel's face was hard to place at first, mainly because Grimmjow would never, in a million years, have pictured the pink-haired Octava looking guilty.

Nevertheless, that was exactly how Aporro looked. It was as if he'd been caught red-handed at something.

And Grimmjow wanted to know what that something was.

'What's that look on your face?' he demanded. 'You're hiding something, aren't you?'

Szayel made a visible attempt to compose himself. 'Of course not,' he replied, his voice lazy. 'When have I ever tried to hide anything? I don't have any shame. I would have thought you would know that, Grimmjow-san.'

Grimmjow didn't miss what happened next. The Octava shifted in his chair, blocking the picture on the largest monitor directly in front of him.

'Got nothing to hide?' Grimmjow kept his own voice casual, mirroring Aporro's. 'You won't mind if I look at that, then.' He pointed at the computer.

Szayel raised an eyebrow. 'I am an Espada. You are not. I could simply order you to leave if I so wished.' He grinned lewdly. 'Besides, are you really sure you _want _to see what I look at on computers in my spare time? You won't like it.'

'Drop it, Aporro.' The anger came through in Grimmjow's voice, despite his intentions. 'I know damn fuckin' straight you're not looking at furries or any crap like that.'

Szayel seemed to abandon his pretence at that. He looked at Grimmjow from under his glasses. 'I did mean what I said before. You're not going to like it.'

'I don't care,' Grimmjow growled.

'And there's no point in you seeing anyway. You're not going to be able to retaliate. You're missing an arm, and you're due to go to the human world for Aizen-sama's mission in half an hour.' Szayel flicked a strand of hair out of his face. 'And you're _really_ not going to like it.' That gravity was back in his eyes again.

'I told you,' Grimmjow continued, ignoring the Octava's warning despite the weight in his stomach. 'I don't care.'

'Very well. Have it your way.' Szayel moved aside, revealing the monitor in front of him. Grimmjow heard the sound of a keystroke, and moved closer.

It was some sort of video. The footage was a little grainy, but Grimmjow had no trouble identifying the two people on screen.

When Luppi pushed Amane against the wall, Grimmjow very nearly lost his temper, and the old mantra of hate did its cycle of the inside of his head. It tattooed itself into his skull, and it was all he could see when he closed his eyes.

_I'll kill him. I'll kill him. _

Aporro was right. There was nothing Grimmjow could do about it. He couldn't retaliate against Luppi, his _replacement. _He was powerless again, and that didn't help his efforts to contain the seething rage threatening to consume him.

Nevertheless, the mantra continued.

'I'll kill him,' he whispered aloud, not caring if Szayel - or fucking Aizen for that matter - heard him.


	33. Devil's Chess Game Part VIII

And I has part 8!

Okay, so today's song lyric is from an album supposedly about drug addiction. Nevertheless, I read it and thought of Aizen-sama.

The album is Thirteenth Step by A Perfect Circle, by the way. And Orihime-chan is in Hueco Mundo. LE GASP.

And Aizen is pissed off. Someone's gonna die. Well, yeah, because…Grimmjow pwns Luppi and regains his awesomeness in this chapter! Long live Grimmjow!

Damn you Kubo for randomly making him disappear. Bring him back, now. His crazy grin demands it.

On a related note: New chapter! Hooray he's not going to end Bleach. Friends of mine keep saying that Bleach is on its way out. That would make me extremely sad, particularly since we haven't seen everybody's Bankais.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 33

Devil's Chess Game

_**

* * *

Part VIII:**_

_**Usurper**_

_

* * *

Eye on what I'm after,_

_I don't need another friend_

_Nod and watch your lips move_

_If you need me to pretend_

_Because clever got me this far_

_Then tricky got me in;_

_I'll take just what I came for_

_Then I'm out the door again._

…

_Lie and smile to get what's mine. _

**-The Package, A Perfect Circle**

Aizen looked closely at Luppi Antenor. The scowl on the Arrancar's childish features didn't faze him. Nothing ever did.

It wasn't as if he cared what Luppi thought about Inoue Orihime.

Aizen glanced at the girl, looking away from the Sexta Espada for a moment. He was pleased by what he saw. He remembered thinking that Amane Renata was attractive. That amused him a little.

Amane was standing off to the side with the other Espada. Her face was pallid, expressionless. Even though the two girls weren't standing next to each other, the difference was stark and unflattering. Amane looked fragile and ill, childish and underfed. Inoue Orihime, with her auburn hair and full-figured body, outshone her without even trying.

And Aizen could tell that she certainly wasn't trying. Orihime's eyes were wide and fearful, steps hesitant as if every second was spent fighting the urge to run far away from him.

Yes, this was going to work very well. After all, who in Renata's situation could resist it?

How could Renata possibly help but to feel jealous?

This was Aizen's push, his final trump card to make Amane Renata fall into his arms. The game was almost over, and Aizen felt a little regret at that. The pursuit was always half the fun.

Grimmjow stood off to the side, glowering at Luppi. Aizen wondered if Grimmjow knew about that little incident already. Perhaps, perhaps not. Renata had certainly done her best to hide it from Aizen himself.

Although she'd hidden the bug in Szayel's system, Aizen had still found it. Nothing happened in Hueco Mundo without his awareness. She had tried to conceal that particular piece of footage from him.

Aizen had his own access to the cameras around Las Noches. It wouldn't do to have his subordinates giving him false or misleading information. He'd seen everything that had passed between Renata and Luppi.

It was rare that anything ever made Aizen even mildly irritated, let alone angry. Nothing ever got the better of him. Nothing would dare. He was a god. And who would dare to knowingly anger a god?

But Luppi had dared.

_Thou shalt not commit adultery. _

Part of what made Amane Renata appealing to him was her innocence. Aizen wanted that innocence to belong to him, in mind and body and soul, and no one else.

Especially not Luppi Antenor, who was barely fit to lie beneath the ground that either Aizen or Amane walked on.

Luppi couldn't touch what was his and go unpunished. Rather than intervene immediately, Aizen had chosen to bide his time. He would enjoy thinking of a punishment for Luppi, something wonderfully grotesque perhaps.

'Thank you, Ulquiorra,' he addressed the Cuatra Espada. 'You have done well.'

'Thank you, sir.' Ulquiorra bowed, standing just behind Orihime.

Aizen turned his attention to the red-haired girl in the school uniform. 'Welcome to our castle, Las Noches,' he said formally. 'You are Inoue Orihime, is that correct?'

Orihime said nothing, biting her lip. Finally she answered. 'Yes.'

Aizen gestured at Grimmjow, motioning the fallen Espada forward. 'I'm sorry to ask you so suddenly, Orihime, but can you demonstrate your powers for me?' he asked, keeping his voice gentle.

The resulting flicker of reiatsu from Luppi's direction, although vastly weaker than his own, irritated Aizen. 'It seems there's still someone that isn't pleased with us bringing you here,' he said, looking at the Sexta Espada again. 'Isn't that so, Luppi?'

'Of course.' Aizen could tell that Luppi didn't quite dare to raise his voice. 'Our whole battle was just to bring this woman here? I can't accept that.'

Renata looked in Luppi's direction, and Aizen saw the corner of her mouth twitch in the beginning of a smile.

'I'm sorry,' Aizen said, effortlessly condescending. 'I didn't expect you to get quite so spectacularly defeated.'

Luppi's eyes narrowed. _I can tell what you're thinking, _Aizen thought in amusement. _You want to shoot a Cero at me. Not that you'd do any damage, even if I did take a hit. _

'Oh, that's right,' Aizen continued, as if he'd forgotten. 'Orihime,' he said, looking at his newest arrival again. 'In order to test your powers, I would like you to restore Grimmjow's left arm, please.'

'Impossible,' Luppi interrupted in a scornful tone of voice. 'That is not possible, Aizen-sama. Grimmjow? His arm was burnt by Tousen. How do you restore something that's been destroyed?' He scowled. 'She's not a god.'

Orihime moved towards Grimmjow in silence. 'Souten Kisshun,' she said softly, and Aizen saw what he'd seen from Ulquiorra's report. A curved shape, warm yellow light, enveloped what had once been Grimmjow's arm.

'I reject it,' Orihime murmured.

'Hey!' Aizen raised an eyebrow at Luppi's interruption, but that didn't stop the Arrancar. 'Do you hear me, woman? Stop trying to put on a good performance to save your own life! If you can't do it, I'll kill you!' Luppi pointed an accusatory finger at the red-headed human. 'That power of yours has to be fake. There's no reason for us to -'

Luppi's voice trailed off, and Aizen knew he'd seen what Inoue Orihime could do. Grimmjow's arm, becoming real again, making itself out of nothing -

And unmaking space and time.

'Why?' It came out of Luppi's mouth in more gasp than voice. 'Is it regeneration? I've never heard of anything at that level - What did you do, woman!'

'Don't you understand?' Aizen broke in, condescending again. 'Ulquiorra called this "Time Reversal" or "Spatial Reversal,"' he explained, for Amane's benefit as much as Luppi's. There was no amazement, no incredulity, in Amane's face as there had been in Luppi's. There was only that steady, expressionless look.

Ulquiorra inclined his head at Aizen's mention of his name.

'It's not possible for a human to have this kind of power!' Luppi was angry, impatient.

'That is right,' Aizen agreed smoothly. 'No matter how you look at it, this is "Event Rejection." Her ability allows her to designate a target and reject the wound on the target's body, making it as though it had never occurred. An ability which allows her to return something to its previous state, no matter what happened.'

Orihime's face didn't change expression at Aizen's description.

'It's beyond "Time Reversal" or "Spatial Reversal". It can reject any event - even an event ordained by a god.' Aizen glanced at Amane then. If she was feeling any sort of jealousy that the new human's power was stronger than her own, it didn't show in her face.

'Hey, woman.'

Grimmjow had turned around to face the back of the room. He looked back at Orihime, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb. 'Heal this too,' he ordered, pointing at the scar left by Kaname's removal of the Sexta tattoo.

The girl obeyed, the ellipse of yellow light appearing once more. It was gone again in a few moments. Apparently surface wounds didn't take as long to regenerate as missing limbs.

Luppi was scowling again. 'What are you trying to do, Grimmjow?' Aizen could tell he was trying and failing to inject menace into his voice. He could also tell, with very little effort, what was going to happen next.

He wondered momentarily if he should stop the former Sexta Espada. After all, he'd wanted to punish Luppi himself, and he'd wanted to take his time doing it.

Grimmjow grinned. 'Huh?'

His left hand struck Luppi in the chest, and didn't stop. Fingertips punched through Hierro and muscle and sternum and organs to emerge out the other side, gleaming with blood.

Luppi choked, staggering forwards. 'Grimmjow - you bastard -'

Orihime's eyes were wide, terrified. Doubtless she was filled with horror at herself, for being the cause of what was happening in front of her.

Renata, on the other hand, seemed unaffected at first glance. But Aizen's skill was reading people, and he looked closer.

The smile that had begun before was trying to come out. Aizen knew that smile well. More importantly, he knew the internal feeling that he associated with it. Her smile was the successful culmination of a plan, the flawless execution of an opponent's downfall.

'That's how it is.' Grimmjow raised his right hand, haloed in the ruddy glow of a Cero. 'See ya, ex-number six.'

Destructive energy roared and seared through the throne room. Aizen was uninterested in the Cero, uninterested in Luppi's disintegrating body. He was only interested in Renata, and that smile on her face.

The red light gleamed in her eyes, reflected back out at Aizen. _You orchestrated this, _he thought, looking at the girl. _You manipulated Grimmjow into doing your dirty work for you. _

A smile crept across Aizen's own face at that. She met his eyes then, her own smile never leaving her lips.

Grimmjow's laughter, more than a little unstable, filled the room. Aizen wondered how hard the Sexta Espada would be laughing if he knew his puppet strings had been pulled by a human girl, the same girl he liked to refer to as a dumbass.

The same girl he liked. Loved? Aizen didn't know the extent of Grimmjow's feelings for Amane, how to differentiate between _like _and _love_. He'd never concerned himself with such things. He'd never felt the need to.

Emotions were all trivial.

* * *

Again, this chapter is basically a recap of what happened in the canon. (All the dialogue is the same as in the canon, with a few fairly minor alterations.) Except that Grimmjow killing Luppi was all part of Amane's plan. ;)

I'll leave you three guesses as to who the 'Usurper' is…heh heh heh…


	34. Devil's Chess Game Part IX

Also, I forgot to say:

These new Bleach opening credits make me happy.

Aizen: They please me.

Me: Yes, they are indeed awesome. Just sticking it out there.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 34

Devil's Chess Game

_**

* * *

Part IX:**_

_**Lamb to the Slaughter**_

_

* * *

_

_Every thought breaks down in my head_

_Best to run, blinded soul_

_Bring me back on my feet and let me go_

_I'm fine alone_

_...  
_

_With a smile on my face_

_I watch you cry. _

**-One Day You Will Cry, Children of Bodom**

It was quite clear that that Orihime girl was a prisoner.

No one had said as much - at least in Rei's presence - but the atmosphere in the throne room had been so different to when she herself had first arrived in Hueco Mundo.

Atmosphere? Who was she trying to kid? It was Aizen who'd been different. Rei couldn't lie to herself. It had been difficult to look away from him. It was because he hadn't had his kind face on.

He hadn't made any effort to be warm or welcoming to Inoue Orihime. He had reclined in his throne, resting his chin on his hand to survey all of them as if he were their king.

Even when he'd been deceptively nice to Rei, she'd been able to get a hint of that subtle aura of power. It was even more obvious when he kissed her or touched her. She'd known, sitting next to him at the piano that day, that Aizen had only asked permission before kissing her as a courtesy. Most people would have called his kiss arrogant, she supposed. Every little motion he'd made had had the assumed knowledge behind it that she'd like whatever he was doing.

Was he arrogant? Did she even care? No, of course she didn't. That confidence of his, which Rei had only glimpsed fleetingly, was part of what was so compelling about him. It was so many things, the power, the mystery of him, the symmetry he had with Rei herself.

She didn't know for sure if Aizen was attracted to her. He had to be, at least in part, she reasoned. He had _kissed _her, after all. And Rei didn't doubt that Aizen could have anyone he wanted. Why would he lower himself to kissing her if he didn't like her at all?

But as much as she didn't like to think it, she had to admit that his feelings probably didn't match hers.

_It's like I just said. _The tone of her internal mental voice was glum. _He could have anyone he wanted. And it's not as if I have anything he'd find particularly interesting, apart from my powers. I don't have an amazing personality, I have no experience at anything. I'm smart, but not witty. And I'm definitely not beautiful. _

Rei remembered Inoue Orihime at that.

She was _undeniably _beautiful. Rei felt inadequate just thinking about her. Yet at the same time she was curious. She'd never had a close-up look at a girl her own age, let alone spoken to one.

_Well, why not?_ she thought, daring herself. She knew where Orihime was being kept. _I could go and visit her, _Rei mused, toying with the idea. _I'm commander of the Espada now. I have got _some _authority. And it's not like I can practise Kidou. _

She'd asked Grimmjow - very politely, of course - if he would be willing to be her sparring partner, so that she could test out her Kidou skills.

'Dumbass,' he'd growled. 'I'm an Espada. I'd probably kill you by accident. Then Aizen-sama'd be really fuckin' happy with me.'

Grimmjow had definitely been telling the truth when he'd said he was a bad liar. Rei had seen the way he'd refused to look her in the face when giving his excuse. _You don't want to fight me, even in a practise spar, for some reason, _she'd thought. And it wasn't too hard to figure out why.

She'd had her suspicions before, but now Rei was almost certain. Grimmjow - _liked _her. Maybe in the same way that she liked Aizen. Although 'like' seemed such a silly and childish word for what she felt for Aizen Sousuke.

Before she'd met Aizen and acknowledged herself, Rei would have felt flushed and giddy at the realisation that Grimmjow had developed feelings for her. Instead, she mentally examined the reinstated Sexta Espada with a sharpened eye.

She'd been right to pick him as the one to kill Luppi for her. Rei was reasonably sure that she had a fairly strong hold over Grimmjow by now. And if his feelings for her were anything like hers for Aizen, that hold would only grow stronger with time.

Grimmjow had offered to find one of his Fracción for her, and Rei was due to start the sparring session the following day. Nevertheless, it wouldn't do to wear herself out, even though there were still more Kidou she wanted to learn to do. She had the incantations of all the Kidou she could perform committed to memory now. Rei hadn't really bothered that much with Bakudou, apart from Kyokko and a few lower-level Kidou. As Aizen had said, her own ability was sufficient for defense. She had focused more on the Hadou spells after mastering Kyokko.

Rei remembered how she'd struggled to cast Shakkahou in the beginning, and smiled to herself.

Inoue Orihime's room wasn't far from her own. Rei walked there, being careful to close and lock the door of her room before leaving. It wasn't as if she had anything to hide, but she wasn't too keen on the idea of someone invading her privacy without her permission.

Orihime's door was ajar. _Stupid, _Rei thought uncharitably, remembering the time she'd been accosted by Loli and Menoly outside her own room. Then she stopped herself. _I should at least try to be nice, _she thought, entering. _That's what you're supposed to do when you meet other people your own age, isn't it?_

The girl had obviously been given clothes like Rei herself had. She was kneeling in the middle of her floor, head bowed. It looked almost as if she was praying, and Rei started when she turned around.

'I'm sorry,' she apologised. 'Did I interrupt you? I can leave if you want.'

'No, it's okay.' Orihime's voice was dull and flat, her eyes dark. She looked as if she'd gotten very little sleep recently. She smiled tentatively, and Rei felt a heavy weight turn over in her stomach.

_I can't compete with her where looks are concerned, _she thought. Even tired and miserable-looking as she was, Inoue Orihime was far prettier than she was, or could ever hope to be. Rei looked at the other girl's long red hair, smooth and straight with the moonlight from the window behind highlighting strands of it, like fairy dust. Subconsciously she curled a strand of her own unruly hair around a finger.

'So you're human too,' Orihime said, standing slowly. 'What's your name?'

'Amane. Amane Rei. I lead the Espada for Aizen-sama.' Rei considered telling the other girl her real name, her birth name. Something about Orihime's sad darkened eyes suggested she would welcome confidences, that it would alleviate her loneliness somehow. But telling anyone besides Aizen to call her Renata felt like sacrilege.

'I'm Inoue Orihime. But I guess - you already knew that. You were there when I -'

'You used that power,' Rei finished for her. 'Souten Kisshun, or something.'

Orihime nodded. 'Did he bring you here too?' she asked.

'Who? Aizen-sama?'

Orihime flinched a little at the name. 'No. It was Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra-san.'

There was an awkward pause. Rei wondered what to say. 'Your power looks kind of like a Kidou,' she said, trying to make conversation. 'Aizen-sama's teaching me Kidou. How does yours work?'

'Did Aizen-sama tell you to ask me that?' There was a brief tightening around the other girl's eyes. Rei recognised the mistrust in Orihime's face.

If she was being perfectly honest with herself, it irritated her. _Yeah, because he'd tell me to ask you straight up, _Rei thought sarcastically. _That's how Aizen rolls. _

'No,' she shot back. 'I'm not here to spy on you.'

'Oh. I thought you were one of his subordinates,' Orihime said quietly. 'I thought you might be an Espada at first, but then I felt your reiatsu.'

'I'm human, like you,' Rei replied. 'And -' She hesitated. Was she one of Aizen's subordinates? Technically speaking, she was. But she hadn't been to begin with. And most people didn't kiss their subordinates. Then again, Aizen definitely wasn't most people.

'Aizen-sama was interested in my ability too,' she compromised. It was part of the truth. 'But I wasn't brought here. I came here by myself, because I wanted to.'

Orihime's eyes widened at that. 'Why? Why would you do that?'

Rei didn't understand. 'What do you mean?' she asked. 'Why wouldn't I?'

'Why would you stay here with them when you don't have to?' Orihime looked stunned. 'You could leave if you wanted to.'

'But I don't want to,' Rei answered, irritated again. 'I hated living in the human world, so I left. It's not like I'm dying to go back there.'

'Did he tell you about Soul Society? Do you know what he did to them?' The look on Orihime's face changed from disbelief to confusion. 'He never told you, did he?'

'I'm going to assume you're talking about Aizen-sama,' Rei said, more than a little coldly. 'Actually, he _did _tell me. He made a decision to leave.'

'He betrayed them.' Orihime's voice was barely above a whisper. 'I was there. He was going to kill my friend Kuchiki-san so he could take the Hougyoku out of her. He hurt their captains, and they thought they were his _friends. _He _was _a Shinigami captain.' She started speaking faster, urgently. 'He lied to you. Whatever he said, it wasn't true.'

'All he said was that he left Seireitei.' Rei moved away, a little taken aback. 'And what's a Hougyoku -'

'He left his _lieutenant _to die.'

Rei glared at her. 'I don't know who _you've _been talking to, but I've seen his lieutenant. Ichimaru Gin's alive and well.'

'He had another lieutenant! Ichimaru Gin was a Shinigami captain too, but he left as well to come here. Aizen - isn't the man you think he is. He's killed and hurt so many people, because he wants to bring down Soul Society. And if we get in his way, he'll do the same to us.'

Orihime's eyes were pleading. Rei could recognise it, even though she wasn't particularly good at guessing the motives of people who weren't Aizen. Orihime was alone and friendless and wanted an ally. She was easy to read, open and guileless.

Friendship?

_Once upon a time, _Rei thought. She remembered being friendless, trapped in her parents' apartment, just as trapped as Inoue Orihime was now. Once upon a time, she would have felt kinship with the girl in front of her. Once upon a time, she would have jumped at the chance to have someone to confide in.

Once upon a time, Rei would have thought that Inoue Orihime was just like her.

But that wasn't the case. Rei never could stomach the thought of being helpless, even before she'd taken her destiny into her own hands and come to Hueco Mundo of her own will.

Orihime wanted a friend and ally, but it was more than that. She wanted someone to help rescue her, because she lacked the resources to do it herself.

_But she doesn't even need resources, _Rei thought to herself, looking down on Inoue Orihime. _She knows Aizen wants something from her. That's guaranteed immunity from any repercussions, right there. She has the leeway to do whatever she wants to try and get out, because Aizen won't hurt or kill her if he needs her abilities. But she hasn't realised that. I don't think she has the wit to realise it. _

Even Rei knew that that internal monologue was rather cold-hearted. A girl her own age was in front of her, lost and confused and wanting a friendly face to stand by. A normal person would reach out a hand to take hers.

Maybe it was because Rei had spent her entire life raised away from other people, and had no practise in feeling compassion. Maybe it was because Inoue Orihime seemed vaguely pathetic to her, standing there forlorn in her room like some sort of red-headed Rapunzel, waiting for a brave prince to come and save her. Maybe it was because Rei had always wanted to do everything for herself, and couldn't stand the thought of being sympathetic towards someone who needed help.

Or maybe she had a little too much Aizen Sousuke in her.

'Aizen-sama's been nothing but kind to me,' Rei said to Orihime, stepping back towards the door. 'I wouldn't want to repay his kindness by judging him on his past actions.'

'I understand,' Orihime said, subdued. She sat on the edge of her bed, looking up at the lone window as Rei closed the door on her.

* * *

Wow. I wrote Rei as being…kind of a bitch in this chapter. She wasn't too mean, though. And I managed to bring in some strong-willed Orihime there. I was pretty proud of that.

I has more Aizen pictures on my computer. I think I might have found all the sexy Aizen bondage pictures on the Internet. Although maybe I should go through Google Images again, just to make sure. On second thoughts, considering the existence of 4chan, that might be a bad idea.


	35. Devil's Chess Game Part X

Good morning lovely people! *just woke up*

First of all I would like to say: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who's written a review, because I now have over 50! And even people who haven't written reviews but are just reading the story. You guys are all awesome XD

Now, on with the fanfic...

Holy shit Aizen creeped me out in this chapter. Even in canon…I don't know, maybe it's just because I'm a closet pervert, but when Aizen was watching Orihime on camera, my first thought was 'He is totally picturing her naked right now.'

That scene just seemed very innuendo-y to me. So here's my take on Aizen watching people. Don't forget, Aizen-sama is watching YOU. All the time. In any situation. Well, he's got nothing better to do now that he's in prison, lol.

Also…episode 294 of the anime…I was watching the preview for 295 very carefully, and I was very excited. Shirtless Aizen (well, partially shirtless) next episode. Fuck yes. Although with his face…God, every screenshot I take of him is pure fanservice. The man needs to stop being so damn gorgeous. He's giving me the most unrealistic standards.

Plus, I can now confirm that Devil's Chess Game will have thirteen parts in total. That's right, thirteen. And the final part will be holy shit awesome friggin' fantastic.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 35

Devil's Chess Game

_**

* * *

Part X:**_

_**Puppetmaster's Endgame**_

_

* * *

Screaming, feed me here_

_Fill me up again_

_Temporarily pacify this hunger_

_So grow, libido throw_

_Dominoes of indiscretions down_

_Falling all around_

_In cycles, in circles_

_Constantly consuming, conquer and devour. _

_**-**_**The Hollow, A Perfect Circle**

Aizen smiled, listening.

His game was up, it seemed. The sound recording equipment he'd had Szayel implant in the walls of Las Noches was more effective in the closed room than it had been in the ceiling far above Amane Renata and Luppi Antenor. Aizen had heard every word this time, and Orihime had just told Renata everything.

But Renata hadn't disappointed him. It was clear that she didn't like Orihime, and Aizen planned to use that very much to his advantage.

Did she believe Orihime? That was the important question, one that Aizen very much wanted an answer to. He had decided to never give Renata any reason not to trust him, and now she had the biggest reason of all.

Orihime sat in the centre of her room, on the floor, unmoving. Aizen could see into her, quite clearly. He could see into her as he'd never been able to see into Renata.

Renata was a little less of an enigma to him now. Most people would have incorrectly guessed her motives for killing Luppi, if they'd even managed to guess it was Renata behind the scenes to begin with.

But Aizen Sousuke was far from most people.

To a casual observer looking at the scenario, Renata had one obvious reason to take Luppi out - revenge. After all, she was a sixteen-year-old girl, naïve and human at that. Who could blame her for thinking with her heart rather than her head?

But Aizen had gotten to know her, and he knew her better than that. Renata seemed to grant very little importance to feelings, much as he himself did. Of course she was shy and awkward and so charmingly self-conscious around him, and to anyone else that would look like a sign that she was his for the taking. Knowing her past history, Aizen knew better.

She'd been sequestered alone with no one but her family, whom she'd hated, for her entire life. She hadn't learnt how to behave around other people, and she hadn't learnt how to feel. She had certainly learnt how to want, and to harbour ambition, and to aspire. Learning to plot was the next logical step, and Renata had obviously taken it when she'd come to Las Noches.

She reminded Aizen of himself in part, but at the same time her impressive reasoning was flawed. _She adores me, _Aizen thought, deriving a dark satisfaction at the notion.

Renata hadn't learnt how to feel, but she was capable of doing it. And as such, she had no way of controlling her emotions. Aizen had seen it in the confusion after he'd kissed her, that childish bewildered look.

She was fiercely independent, ambitious, highly intelligent, headstrong, and not above resorting to subterfuge. Those attributes - the emotional spectrum of a bright yet overlooked and friendless child - reminded Aizen of himself when he'd been younger.

Those attributes were what made her small victory over Luppi all the more fascinating.

Anyone in Renata's position whose thoughts were overly influenced by out-of-control emotions would have simply killed Luppi for revenge. But Aizen, looking through Renata's eyes, knew that the attack on her person - Luppi's unsuccessful attempt to take by force what Aizen would be given freely in the end - would signify more than just an insubordinate and overly lecherous Espada.

It would signify an attack on her position as their leader and commander, and the intelligent thing to do with any rebellious faction was to cut it down in its genesis, not its prime.

Of course, there was always the chance of a repeat attack as well. If it had been Aizen in Renata's position, he would have decided the Arrancar was too dangerous to be left alive.

Essentially, Aizen's conjectured reasons for Amane Renata's assassination of Luppi Antenor were just that - conjecture. Nevertheless, Aizen had a strong suspicion that he was correct.

He had to guess, and suspect, and conjecture, because he couldn't see into Amane Renata's mind as he could with virtually everyone else.

Including Inoue Orihime.

Aizen's eyes alighted on the figure curled on the floor of the room on the screen in front of him. Involuntarily, he smiled.

He knew all about the girl's powers. He even had a false purpose for them. Really her only purpose in Hueco Mundo was to act as a lure, a captured princess in a tower calling for help.

Even so, she pleased him, aesthetically at least.

Aizen considered the possibility of taking Orihime to his bed. It would certainly tie in with his current plan to push Amane into emotional vulnerability by inducing her into jealousy.

And when he eventually rejected her and cast her aside, it would be like breaking Hinamori Momo's heart all over again. That had amused him, even though Hinamori-kun had made it so pitifully easy for him.

Because it would be equally easy to make Orihime love him, if Aizen so wished. She obviously had a strong attachment to that Kurosaki Ichigo boy, but that could be easily remedied. Aizen knew about the firm friendship between the ryoka boy and Kuchiki Rukia, a friendship that would perhaps grow to be more than a friendship given time.

He could dangle mentions of Kuchiki Rukia under Orihime's nose, and she would come to believe that Kurosaki Ichigo would never reciprocate her feelings. Aizen could prey on that sense of abandonment with ease.

The reason why he didn't was simple.

It would be too easy.

It was like trying to solve a maze with the red line of the solution already drawn in front of him. Aizen quite simply lacked the motivation to go after something so incapable of offering any kind of challenge. He knew exactly what he would do, and exactly how Orihime would respond, and exactly what the whole affair would end in - a broken-hearted teenage girl, all for the sake of providing Aizen with a few nights of empty pleasure.

Because that was all she would be good for. A solved problem was of no interest to Aizen Sousuke. It _was _tempting to use Orihime up and hand her back to Kurosaki Ichigo, irreparably broken. Watching the ryoka boy's reaction would be an amusing little psychological experiment.

But it would be a short-lived amusement. And the game he was playing with Renata had, thus far, been anything but short-lived.

It was his move again, and Aizen was moving ever closer to the final blow.

He had already instructed Ulquiorra, just moments ago, to tell Orihime she was to meet him in his rooms later that night. And Renata would know all about it. It was fortunate indeed that she had eyes and ears around Las Noches, just as Aizen himself did.

* * *

And Aizen's got a plan too. But then Aizen-sama always has a plan.

Aizen's plan, Amane's plan…is anything in this fic going to be unplanned? Yes, yes it is. But, to quote Gin-san, that would be telling.

Sneaky sneaky time around Las Noches. Lots more people join in the sneaking fun next chapter. It's practically a sneaking party.

I just realised that this entire chapter is all internal monologue. Hope I didn't bore the crap out of anyone there. There is a hell of a lot of internal monologue in this story. (Well, how often do you get to see what's going on inside Aizen-sama's head?)


	36. Devil's Chess Game Part XI

Hooray, the essay introduction is done! Now it can go die in a hole for a while. I'm writing my goddamn Bleach fanfic. Suck on that, professors.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 36

Devil's Chess Game

_**

* * *

Part XI:**_

_**Blind Coup and Enemy Princess**_

_

* * *

Watching me, wanting me_

_I can feel you pull me down_

_Feeling you, loving you_

_I won't let you pull me down. _

…

_Hunting you, I can smell you_

_Your heart pounding in my head. _

**-Haunted, Evanescence**

Rei had her opportunity, and it had practically been gift-wrapped for her.

She had gone back through the video, double-checking Ulquiorra's words. It was hardly necessary to do so. They'd imprinted themselves on her memory the first time she'd heard them.

_Aizen-sama requires your presence in his rooms tonight, woman. _

_What does he want with me? _Orihime's voice had answered back, in a squeak almost. Rei had cringed a little at the sound, the singer in her wincing.

_That is not your concern, _Ulquiorra had answered, with his characteristic absence of feeling.

The little comfort that that cold statement had given Rei was more than offset by the gravity of Ulquiorra's order.

_Aizen-sama requires your presence in his rooms tonight. _

It was useless to think that Aizen would never choose Orihime over her. Rei knew the truth. There was nothing special about her, nothing that would draw Aizen to her.

And she'd killed one of his subordinates. Well, Luppi had technically been _her _subordinate, but Rei knew that her title as commander of the Espada could be taken away from her by Aizen, any time he felt like it.

She regretted coldly pushing Orihime's unspoken request for a friendship now. _I should have pretended, _Rei thought, depressed. _I should have gotten close to her. She seems to know a lot more about him than I do. _

What, exactly, was Inoue Orihime to Aizen?

Rei had no idea, and that made her insides twist and coil. Orihime was a prisoner, yes. And her power could reverse time and space and even matter to its original form, from what Aizen had said.

_She's better than me, in every possible way. I wouldn't be surprised if he wants her instead of me. _

No, she had to get a hold of herself. There was one way in which Rei herself was superior to Orihime, and that was her mind. She was sharper than Orihime, smarter than Orihime, and Aizen himself had said that he valued intelligence in his subordinates.

_I brought down an _Espada, Rei thought to herself, gaining confidence. _That girl doesn't scare me. And soon I'll find out what she means to Aizen. _

Rei fully intended to use Kyokko tonight. She knew from her Kidou practise that she could maintain the spell for long periods of time, four hours or more. She just had to repeat the incantation if the invisibility started to falter. She'd made herself dizzy and tired practising in her room. It drained her energy, yes, but there was no way she'd need to keep the thing up for anything like four hours.

She opened up the computer Szayel had given her, checking the time that had passed since Ulquiorra had spoken to Orihime.

_Three and a half hours ago, _Rei thought. _I should leave now. _

Murmuring the incantation for Kyokko, she watched herself disappear. It had taken Rei a while to get used to being disembodied. Hopefully she'd be able to make her way to Aizen's rooms without walking into anyone.

Rei resisted the temptation to hold her fingers up to her face and look through them. She walked up to the door, realising that Aizen would probably notice it opening and shutting all by itself.

'Fuck,' she whispered, taking a leaf out of Grimmjow's book. She would have to take her chances.

Rei left her room, closing the door behind her.

She was fairly sure she could remember the way to Aizen's rooms. She abandoned caution, not bothering to step quietly. She was alone, after all. There was no one else around.

Or so she thought, until Rei glimpsed Grimmjow at a distance.

Her heart jumped into her mouth, and she froze. _Did he hear me? _she thought, panicking.

Grimmjow was still for what seemed like an eternity to Rei. Then he started walking in her direction. Rei stayed still, trying to breathe quietly.

He was about a foot away from her when he stopped. Rei held her breath entirely, and nearly let it all out in one gasp when he spoke.

'Forgot to muffle your steps, dumbass.'

It was a mutter under his breath, and Rei realised that to the cameras it would look as if Grimmjow were swearing to himself.

'You're not going to tell him, are you?' she whispered back. It was more a statement than a question. Rei was reasonably sure that Grimmjow wouldn't go running to Aizen.

Grimmjow snorted. 'You fuckin' kidding me?' he snapped back, his voice still quiet. 'As if I'd give that bastard the time of day.'

Rei smiled, knowing he couldn't see her. 'I'm going to see what he's up to,' she confided in him. 'Can you stay here? If anyone tries to check on me, you can give them an alibi.' _As unlikely as that is, _she thought. Aizen hadn't bothered to talk to her in more than a week. She hadn't seen him since Orihime had first been brought to Hueco Mundo.

'Not bloody likely. I'm coming with you, stupid.'

Rei sighed. 'You're my subordinate,' she pointed out. 'I could just order you to stay behind.'

'You do that and see how far it gets you.' Grimmjow kicked the wall, as if to keep up the charade that he was talking to himself. 'Hide me too. You know where the cameras are. You can find a blind spot.'

'All right,' Rei agreed, thinking back to the computer. 'Move forward about ten steps,' she instructed.

Grimmjow obeyed her, and Rei moved forward with him. She whispered the incantation for Kyokko, directing the spell at Grimmjow. She hoped it would work. She'd never tried it on anything besides herself.

To her relief, Grimmjow disappeared, just as Rei herself had. 'This is really fuckin' weird,' she heard him say. The words came out of a patch of air above Rei's head, and she giggled.

'Might I ask what's so funny?'

Rei froze, and she guessed by Grimmjow's sharp intake of breath that he had too.

She slowly turned her head, to find the Octava Espada's face less than an inch from her own.

Rei shrieked. 'Get away from me!'

'It's not like I can see where you are, stupid girl,' Szayel drawled, adjusting his glasses.

'What the fuck do you want, Aporro?'

Szayel's expression didn't change at the sound of Grimmjow's voice. 'You might want to keep your voice down, Grimmjow-san,' he said, looking down his nose. 'This is a blind spot, not a deaf spot.'

'You don't look very surprised,' Rei observed, after taking a breath to calm down. 'Finding us, I mean.'

'It isn't as if you made it _difficult._' Szayel looked condescending. 'Talking loudly enough for anyone in Las Noches to hear you defeats the purpose of using an invisibility Bakudou.'

'I guess you've studied Kidou too,' Rei replied.

'I've studied everything, stupid girl.'

Rei giggled again. 'Looking ten centimetres to the left of my head defeats the purpose of using that glare.' Then she realised, and looked at Szayel askance. 'You're going to tell Aizen-sama, aren't you?'

Szayel sniffed. 'Aizen-sama's probably figured it out for himself by now. I, for one, would think it more than slightly suspicious for Grimmjow to walk into a blind spot and never come out again. You're going to spy on Lord Aizen, aren't you?'

Rei kept silent.

'Who wants to know?' Grimmjow interrupted.

Szayel ran his fingers through his hair. 'Oh, it's quite obvious. You're attracted to Aizen-sama. We all know it.'

Rei reddened violently, grateful that neither Espada could see her. 'Do you mind?' she hissed. 'If you're going to stand there and make fun of me, then go away.'

'That's unfortunate.' Szayel moved his glasses again. 'Because, you see, I don't want to miss out on this.'

'Can't say I'm surprised, you creepy fucker.'

Szayel ignored Grimmjow. 'It's not often that I get the opportunity to spy on Aizen-sama. In fact, I can't say that I've ever had that opportunity.'

'What do you think this is?' Grimmjow growled. 'A fuckin' picnic?'

Rei made a decision. 'All right,' she said. 'You can come. But I don't know how long I'll be able to hold up Kyokko for three people.'

Szayel shrugged. 'I'll leave when this little sneaking game bores me.'

Rei cast Kyokko over Szayel, and the three of them moved towards Aizen's rooms.

'I thought you understood, Aporro,' Grimmjow muttered. 'Why'd you have to say that?'

'What, about Amane-chan and Aizen-sama?' Szayel's voice sounded less flippant now. 'It's true. We all know.'

'Well, don't say it again.'

That certainly went towards confirming Rei's suspicions. Grimmjow definitely felt more than he was letting on towards her.

'Tell me, has Aizen-sama told you his age, Amane-chan?' Szayel asked, almost conversationally.

Rei tensed. 'No. He hasn't, actually.'

Szayel chuckled darkly. 'Oh, this'll be interesting. Let's experiment, shall we?'

'Like hell she's experimenting with you,' Grimmjow snapped.

'Humour me, will you, Grimmjow-san?' Szayel's voice addressed Rei. 'Take a guess if you can, girl. How old would you think Aizen-sama is, to look at him?'

Rei paused, thinking. 'He looks - I don't know, twenty-five maybe. But I know he doesn't look his age,' she added.

'He certainly doesn't.' Szayel paused. 'Care to take another guess?'

'Just tell her.' Grimmjow sounded weary, in contrast to his previous irritation at Szayel. 'She'll find out eventually.'

'Aizen-sama is due to celebrate his two hundred and fifty sixth birthday in a few months.' Szayel's voice was deceptively casual. 'There's a bit of an age difference.'

'Two hundred and fifty six?' Rei's voice was also casual. On the inside she knew it should surprise her, shock her even, that she'd kissed someone that much older than her. Yet it didn't. She supposed she'd been expecting Aizen to be older.

They had reached Aizen's room, and to Rei's surprise, the door was ajar. It was even open wide enough for her to slip through without disturbing it, and behind her Szayel and Grimmjow did the same.

She could already feel the drain on her reiatsu from the three Kyokko spells. Hopefully she wouldn't have to hold it up for too long.

'Thank you for coming, Orihime.'

Aizen's voice sent shivers down Rei's spine, as always. The sensual baritone was coming from the direction of the balcony where he'd first taken her to learn Kidou.

'This way,' Rei whispered to Szayel and Grimmjow, hearing their footsteps follow her.

'I apologise for calling you out so suddenly after your arrival.' Aizen and Orihime came into view. Rei noticed with a twinge that Aizen was holding the other girl's hand, looking into her eyes.

'I have something I want to show you,' Aizen continued, motioning Orihime forward. 'Loli, Menoly. Please leave us.'

Rei started, having only just noticed the two Arrancar girls standing off to the side. Both were glowering at Orihime. Clearly they didn't like her any more than Rei did.

'But -' Menoly protested.

'To leave Aizen-sama alone with such a being -' Loli's eyes were indignant.

Aizen's eyes subtly narrowed. There was a heavy but short-lived silence, and both girls fell to their knees. 'Our deepest apologies,' they spoke in unison.

'You are dismissed.' Aizen waved his hand.

The two girls left, heads bowed, moving past Rei. 'What is it about that woman?' Loli muttered to herself. For once, Rei sympathised with the Arrancar.

Once they were gone, Aizen turned to Orihime. 'Now, then,' he said, and Rei flinched, recognising the seductive undertone that she'd thought he reserved for her.

'I would like you to see this, Orihime,' Aizen said, taking her hand again. 'Please watch carefully.'

His other hand hovered above the balcony floor, and a narrow column rose up out of the ground, stopping just below his palm. Rei watched, intrigued. Circular slices moved in a crescent formation off the top of the column, and Orihime looked down, her eyes widening.

Aizen chuckled. 'It looks like you understand. This,' he paused, 'is the Hougyoku.'

Rei stared in disbelief. All she could think of were questions, not the least of them being why Aizen had never shown the Hougyoku to her. She angled her head, trying to see down into the column.

'Because I have repeatedly awakened it for a few moments at a time,' Aizen continued, running a hand through his hair, 'it is a little worn out, but it is certainly progressing towards a complete awakening.'

_Yes, _Rei thought impatiently, _but what is it? What does it do?_

'The creation of Arrancar from Hollows, the creation of the Ouken - I could achieve neither without the Hougyoku.' Aizen was silent then, looking at Orihime. 'Please think of the fact that I have shown you this as a sign of my trust in you.'

There was no mistake. Rei could hear it in his voice, his lovely dark melted-chocolate voice.

_Oh God, _she thought, her heart sinking. _He's trying to win her over. _

'Your power is the rejection of events. It reverses everything that has occurred, and annihilates the event itself.' Aizen took a step towards Orihime, until he was standing less than a foot from her. 'It is an extraordinary power. I need your power, Orihime.' When Aizen took Orihime's hand to his mouth, kissing the back of it, Rei wanted to look away. 'You will use that power of yours for my sake, won't you?'

Orihime's eyes were wide, terrified, just as they'd been when Rei had gone to her room. _How can she say no? _Rei thought to herself. _How can she possibly refuse him?_

'Please don't feel pressured, Orihime.' Aizen's voice was gentle. 'After all,' he leaned in closer to her, 'we have more than enough time.'

His lips settled on Orihime's cheek, close and familiar, just as he hadn't been with Rei when he'd given her the position of commander of the Espada.

Rei had had enough. It was clear where this was going to go, and she wanted no more of it.

She brushed past Szayel, pushed past Grimmjow, and somehow still had the presence of mind to walk carefully through Aizen's rooms. Once she went out the door, she ran, not caring who heard her.

'Hey! Woman!' Grimmjow's voice sounded from behind her, and Rei didn't stop. She kept running, all the way back to her room.

Just as she stopped in front of her door, Grimmjow's hands reached out to grab her by the wrists. 'Don't ignore me, dumbass,' he growled, melting back into visibility.

Rei could see her hands too. So the Kidou had worn off, just in time.

'I just want to be alone, Grimmjow-san,' she said, remaining polite with an enormous amount of effort.

Grimmjow's hands tightened. 'Cut it out,' he ordered. 'You'll make me break you by accident.'

'Honestly, Grimmjow? I don't care.' Her eyes were stinging, and Rei blinked angrily. 'Leave me alone. That's an order.'

Grimmjow laughed bitterly. 'Fuck that. Listen to me, dumbass.' His eyes narrowed. 'I reckon it's for the best that he's going after that woman.'

Rei stared at him, dumbstruck. She wanted to slap him. 'How the _fuck _can you say that?' she demanded, the profanity coming out in a broken whisper. 'I don't stand a chance! She's…_pretty! _And I'm -' Much to her shame, a harsh sob escaped her lips. Part of her remarked on the absurdity of it, the fact that she was having this conversation with Grimmjow, of all people.

Grimmjow glared at her. 'And you're not? Is that what you're trying to say, dumbass? There's nothing wrong with the way you look.' His face softened for just a moment, and then hardened again. 'Aizen's not worth your time.'

And with that, the Sexta Espada left her.

A tear rolled down Rei's cheek. She barely noticed it, stepping inside her room.

_Fuck it, _she thought. _I knew this was going to happen. And I fell in love with him anyway. _

But she knew that was wrong. She'd known about Aizen's complete lack of principles, yes, but she didn't love him in spite of that.

She loved him because of it.


	37. Devil's Chess Game Part XII

Shit shit shit. I have lost my phone, and an almighty amount of shit is going to go down with my parents if I can't find it.

Not to mention that I think I left it on a bus, and once you do that - with anything - you can be pretty sure it's consigned to the void.

Wish me luck, I'm gonna need it.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 37

Devil's Chess Game

_**

* * *

Part XII:**_

_**Black Coffin**_

_

* * *

Another night, another demise_

_Cadaverous wind blowing cold as ice_

_I'll let the wind blow out the light_

_Because it gets more painful_

_Every time I die. _

**-Every Time I Die, Children of Bodom**

This was certainly getting interesting.

Aizen waited. He wanted to see how Amane Renata was faring today, and he'd chosen to attend her little impromptu sparring session.

Ilforte Granz was standing not too far away, arms folded, a scowl on his face. 'If she can't be bothered showing up, I'm going to find something better to do,' he muttered.

Grimmjow glared at him. 'You're my Fracción. You'll leave when I say you can.'

Next to Aizen, Ichimaru Gin's smile widened.

Aizen thought back to the previous day. He had been waiting for Renata to leave her room as soon as he'd given Ulquiorra his orders, and had recognised the use of Kyokko when her door had open and shut by itself.

It was impressive that she'd managed to advance so far in a relatively short amount of time. If Aizen had been less observant, less intelligent even, the spell might have escaped him entirely.

But he _had _noticed the movement of the door. Kyokko was a tricky spell, certainly. Normal camera footage and even reiatsu detection wouldn't pick up someone who was using it.

Unfortunately for Amane Renata, Kyokko's 'Curved Light' technique didn't shield heat signatures. Aizen had switched the cameras in and near his room to infrared, and seen the trio sneak in.

He had put on an award-winning performance for his young protégée. Doubtless she now believed he had forsaken her for Inoue Orihime. The trouble with the infrared cameras was that they couldn't pick up facial expressions as normal footage could. So Aizen had come here today, not only to see how far his student had progressed on her own, but to see the effect his display of affection for Orihime had had on her.

Footsteps approached, and Amane Renata appeared. She seemed composed, a little more pale and withdrawn than usual perhaps.

'I'm sorry if I kept you waiting,' she said. Her eyes moved over to Aizen, and instead of blushing and looking down as she usually did, she regarded him with a cool, steady gaze.

'No apologies are necessary,' Aizen said lightly. 'Please, commence. I would like to see your progress, Amane-chan.'

Renata inclined her head. 'Of course, Aizen-sama.' She glanced at Ilforte, who stepped forward.

'I'll let you attack first,' the Arrancar said, more than a little patronisingly.

Renata didn't waste time, moving forward to match him. 'Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini,_' _she recited. 'Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat. Bakudou number nine, Geki!'

Ilforte was enveloped in a halo of red light. It clung to his limbs, and Aizen could see the paralysis beginning to take hold.

It stood to reason, he supposed. She had taught herself Kyokko, after all. It was logical to assume she'd learnt other Bakudou as well.

Ilforte raised an eyebrow, smirking. 'Cero.'

Renata only just managed to move out of the way. She half-stumbled, breathing heavily, as the roar of red energy consumed the space where she'd been standing less than a second ago.

'Is that all you've got, human?' Ilforte taunted. 'You must be soft in the head, using a binding on someone whose reiatsu is stronger than yours.'

Renata's eyes narrowed. She was frustrated, Aizen observed. That wouldn't serve her well, even in a mock battle.

'Ye lord, mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man,' Renata snapped. 'Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south. Hadou number thirty-three, Shakkahou!'

Red flame seared past Ilforte, who'd had more than enough time to evade the attack. That was the trouble with Kidou, Aizen knew. He himself had learnt Eishouhaki - Incantation Abandonment - as soon as possible. Kidou was a powerful method of combat, but the time taken to recite an incantation was a major weakness.

'Cero,' Ilforte responded.

Renata shouted an incantation, raising her arms. 'Bakudou number thirty-nine. Enkosen.'

The circular reiatsu shield only just held. _You would have been served better with your own ability, _Aizen noted. The Cero dissipated, leaving Renata standing. Her hands were shaking, but that tremor didn't extend to her eyes. She was glaring fiercely at Ilforte.

'You're trying to kill me,' she accused. 'That was a full-strength Cero. I felt it.'

Ilforte laughed. 'So what if I am? I don't need to expend any energy trying. You're not even worth a Resurreción, human.'

Aizen watched, intrigued. He could see where this was going to go. Luppi hadn't been the only Arrancar who'd resented having to take orders from a human.

'Is that so?' Renata replied, composing herself.

'Yeah.' Ilforte folded his arms. 'Go on. Give me your worst.'

'As you wish.' Renata straightened. 'Sprinkled on the bones of the beast,' she began, brow wrinkling as if she was trying to put as much energy as she possibly could into the spell. 'Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle!' She threw her arm forward. 'Hadou number sixty-three, Raikouhou!'

Yellow flame spurted from her hand, burning an arc towards Ilforte. It looked impressive, but there was no real strength behind it. She would have needed to be third seat strength or greater to effectively perform a sixty-level Hadou, and Aizen knew it.

'Don't make me laugh, human!' Ilforte threw out his own hand, almost casually. The Hadou burned itself out up against his palm. 'As if I'd even bother blocking that.' He turned away. 'This is a waste of time. I don't care what you say, Grimmjow, I'm -'

Renata's reiatsu flared. It pushed against Aizen's own. 'Seeping crest of turbidity, arrogant vessel of lunacy.' Her voice was low.

'What's that, human?' Ilforte didn't bother to turn around, still walking away from her. 'Trying to insult me? Don't bother.'

'Boil forth and deny, grow numb and flicker, disrupting sleep.' Darkness flickered fitfully around Renata's hands, both closed into fists. Her reiatsu had definitely increased. Aizen could feel it. She was angry, but not close to losing her temper. This was no flash of hotheadedness like that of Grimmjow. This was cold-blooded rage.

'Crawling queen of iron,' Renata snarled. 'Eternally self-destructing doll of mud. Unite, repulse. Fill with soil, and know your own powerlessness.'

'Huh.' Gin tilted his head. 'Is she tryin' ta throw what I think she's tryin' ta throw, Aizen-sama?'

Aizen didn't answer.

'Hadou number ninety, Kurohitsugi!' Renata bellowed.

The darkness flared, erupted, surged.

Ilforte turned partially, looking back. 'What -'

The darkness encased him. Aizen noticed immediately that it wasn't the usual shape of a Kurohitsugi. It certainly looked nothing like the Kurohitsugi he'd used on Komamura Sajin on Soukyoku Hill.

Renata's Kurohitsugi was oddly blob-shaped, concealing Ilforte Granz in a gelatinous mass of blackness. It wasn't anything like as strong as Aizen's own Kurohitsugi had been. That was understandable. Hadou in the nineties were difficult to cast, even for captain-level Shinigami, let alone sixteen-year-old girls.

The Arrancar screamed in rage, right before lances of darkness ran him through from the outside.

Renata's face was no longer twisted with anger. The cool steady look was back. As Kurohitsugi faded away, leaving a panting, bloodied - and possibly mortally wounded - Ilforte, Renata regarded him dispassionately.

'Kill me, bitch!' Ilforte rasped. 'At least -' He stopped mid-sentence, coughing. Dark blood dripped out sluggishly from between his lips. 'At least have the decency to finish it!'

'I was actually thinking about leaving you alive as punishment.' Renata moved towards him. 'You were quite rude to me. And besides, I don't wish to kill any of Aizen-sama's subordinates.'

She glanced at Aizen then, a calm smile on her lips. Aizen realised that the shy sixteen-year-old child who'd first come to Hueco Mundo on her own had almost entirely disappeared.

When he looked into her eyes, it was like looking into a mirror. If she had any tender feelings for him still, she was keeping them well hidden.

Aizen certainly hoped that was the case.

Looking at her, standing there with that dark intelligence and challenging look in her eyes, Aizen felt desire spear straight through his body. It was ironic, really, that her mental agility and ability to manipulate just as he did was inducing such a physical reaction in him.

She regarded him as an opponent now, he knew. That meant that by Aizen's own standards, he hadn't won this game. Nevertheless, the end result was far more satisfactory than he'd ever thought it would be.

'You have my permission to grant Ilforte's wish, should it please you to do so,' he said pleasantly.

Renata nodded. 'I suppose he's been humiliated enough.' She strode over to Ilforte, and spoke the incantation for Haien.

When she was done, Aizen looked at her. 'Kurohitsugi,' he said. 'An ambitious choice. I can't help but feel you tried to run before you could walk.'

'Forgive me, Aizen-sama,' Renata replied, looking completely unapologetic. 'I forgot myself for a moment. Besides, I would argue that any technique that provides that sort of result is a good one, even if it's performed poorly.' With that, she left the room.

Aizen watched her go, smiling to himself.


	38. Devil's Chess Game Part XIII

Remember how I said that part 13 was going to be friggin' fantastic? Well, here it is. And…God, it's amazing. If I do say so myself. Writing these two together makes me feel incredibly stupid and unwitty. If Aizen-sama started talking to me, I'd totally just sit there tongue-tied.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 38

Devil's Chess Game

_**

* * *

Part XIII:**_

_**Checkmate**_

_

* * *

We lived our lives_

_In our paradise_

_As gods we shaped the world around_

…

_Now the day has come_

_We are forsaken, there's no time any more_

_Life will pass us by_

_We are forsaken, we're the last of our kind.  
_

**-Forsaken, Within Temptation**

Flakes of snow fell and spiralled around Rei.

She hadn't practised using her ability in a while, and she was astounded at how easy it was to create a snowstorm.

It was comforting, in a way. Rei had considered bringing Orihime down the same way she'd had Luppi killed. It would be more than easy to subtly push Loli or Menoly into doing it, from the look of things.

But she knew Aizen had figured out it was her who was responsible for Luppi's demise. If she tried to kill Orihime, Aizen would know about it. And it was more than possible that she wouldn't end up as fortunate as Grimmjow. As much as Rei hated to admit it, Luppi had been right.

_You've fallen from Lord Aizen's graces, Amane-sama. _

_Whatever you think, Amane-sama, you're just a woman. He can get another one any time he wants. _

She loved Aizen, but Aizen couldn't care less about her.

The spirit particles around her, gathered in the crystalline shapes of snowflakes, whirled into a tempest. Aizen had chosen Orihime over her. It was hardly surprising. After all, Orihime was physically attractive, whereas Rei herself was not.

As if that wasn't enough, there were probably going to be repercussions for the stunt she'd pulled with Grimmjow's Fracción yesterday. Rei had suspected that Aizen himself hadn't been particularly happy with Luppi, which would explain why she hadn't experienced any kind of payback. But there could be no denying that she'd killed Ilforte Granz, right in front of Aizen to boot.

She hadn't been able to read his face, either. That had alarmed her. She had always been able to gather a sense of what Aizen was thinking, what he was planning, what he was trying to get her to do. But now Rei had no idea where she stood with him.

It had been fairly obvious before that he'd been trying to get her to trust him. But now -

_What is he playing at?_

Rei couldn't answer that question. She'd known that he'd worked out that she _didn't _trust him, and then he'd given her a position of authority over the Espada, and she knew he knew about what she'd done with Luppi. He hadn't really spoken to her in days, not since the day she'd sat next to him at the piano and they'd kissed.

_Oh God, _she thought. _I've gotten in way too deep. _

Rei cursed herself. She'd grown overconfident in her position of safety and power, her place as Aizen's favourite.

The snow whirled and howled as her thoughts did the same. He could probably see her now, she realised. It wasn't as if she was trying to hide herself.

The cool impression she'd given yesterday had been an eloquent lie. Aizen had certainly taught her to lie, and to lie well. On the inside Rei felt anything but in control. Nevertheless, yesterday had felt like a victory, albeit a small one.

_Victory? _She laughed bitterly inside her head. _I killed an Arrancar in front of Aizen. I've given him an excuse to do what he likes with me. That was a colossal mistake, not a victory. _

Rei couldn't deny that it had felt good, wiping the smirk off Ilforte Granz's face. She had faced off against an Arrancar, a being much stronger than herself, and won, even if she had taken him off guard. She had thrown down a gauntlet in front of Aizen, and dared to walk away from him. She had cast Kurohitsugi, which she'd never thought she'd be able to do. Rei strongly suspected that she'd only been able to do it because Ilforte had antagonised her, but that was irrelevant.

She had lost, but it had felt like she'd won.

Pulling her legs to her chest, Rei no longer felt the urge to cry. She wasn't afraid for herself. She only felt a dull aching emptiness at the fact that she'd lost Aizen Sousuke to a girl who couldn't plot her way out of a paper bag.

The stone of the wall was cold underneath her. If she made the snowstorm dense enough, she could block out that false blue sky.

Aizen was well and truly her opponent now, and her opponent had finally won their convoluted game of chess. Rei shivered unconsciously. Apparently she'd been able to affect the air temperature as well. It was bitterly cold, but only her body noticed it.

Rei wrapped her arms around herself, just as the approaching reiatsu made itself known. It was _his, _and she felt like it was pressing on her, constricting her even. Her heart gave a silly little skip at the thought that Aizen was coming, and Rei clamped down on it.

His footsteps sounded through the snowstorm, moving closer to where she was sitting. Rei felt the familiar tingling in her cheeks at his presence, and loathed herself for it. _Have some dignity, _she thought to herself.

A flurry of snow segued out of the way, revealing Aizen Sousuke.

As confused as her feelings were, Rei couldn't help but let the breath she'd been holding go. He really was beautiful. Her snowflakes nestled in his hair, on his shoulders, even on his nose and lips. She noticed the slight flush in his cheeks and lips from the cold. His white outfit was open at the throat, and Rei inexplicably wanted to kiss his neck, press her lips against the sculpted lines of his collarbones.

She bit down on her lip, hard, tasting coppery blood in her mouth.

'May I join you?' Aizen asked, his voice warm and pleasant.

Rei forced herself to answer. 'If you want, Aizen-sama.' _What do you want from me? _she wanted to demand, but couldn't find a way to.

Aizen sat next to her, and Rei tried not to notice her opponent's thigh just touching hers. 'You seem troubled,' he observed.

Grimmjow's voice spoke up inside Rei's head, harsh and sarcastic. _No shit, Sherlock, _it retorted.

'Please don't feel the need to concern yourself with me, Aizen-sama.' Rei made her voice as cold as the snow whirling around them. 'After all, I'm just your subordinate.'

'Indeed,' Aizen agreed. 'I will admit it was my intention to make you think that way.'

Rei stared at him in shock.

Aizen chuckled. 'I'm sure you noticed that I distanced myself from you after I gave you command of my Espada. If that's not the case, then I'm disappointed in you, Renata-chan.'

'I noticed.' Rei left it at that. 'Am I correct in assuming that you tried to make me think of you as my superior, and only my superior, because you suspected I wasn't particularly trusting of you?' She tried to stay calm. If Aizen had intended to come here and confuse the hell out of her, then he'd definitely succeeded. Rei didn't intend to give him the satisfaction of letting him know that.

Aizen's lips curved into a smile. 'I see. You understand, just as I thought you would. I wanted from the very beginning to make you trust me, Renata-chan.'

The snowstorm flew around them in eddies, occasionally letting through flashes of blue. 'Why?' Rei asked, figuring the question was as good a reply as any.

Aizen's smile subsided at that. 'Because here I am king, and you were the only thing in my kingdom to resist me.'

Rei couldn't help but to laugh, even if the laugh was more than a little self-deprecating. _To hell with it, _she thought. _I don't know which way is up in this conversation. I'm beyond confused. I can't lie to him when I don't know what's going on. He can have the truth from me. I don't care any more. _

'I know perfectly well that you could have used force any time you wanted to,' she replied. 'You didn't _need _to make me trust you. You could have just threatened me, or done what you did to Grimmjow. Don't bother denying it. I know it was you.'

Aizen nodded, which surprised Rei. She'd fully expected him to deny it, despite what she'd said. 'What you say is true. I could have coerced you into obedience, following my every demand, but I chose not to.'

Rei wanted to ask why again, but then she remembered Grimmjow's words, so long ago in her room. _He'd be making it too easy. _

'You just decided to try and make me fall in love with you,' she said bluntly, changing tack. At least she could lie by omission. She wasn't going to tell Aizen that he'd succeeded in his aim.

'So I did.' Aizen was looking at her thoughtfully. 'And I was partially successful, but not quite.' He paused, waiting for her to speak.

It clicked. 'Inoue Orihime,' Rei said, staring at him. 'You knew I was watching that night. You needed a new tactic, and that was it.'

Aizen clapped. 'Well done,' he said, smiling at her as a teacher might when praising a particularly gifted student. 'Unfortunately for me, that tactic wasn't particularly successful.'

Rei nodded, slowly. 'No, it wasn't.'

'Interesting. So you aren't prone to jealousy, then, Renata-chan? You are a rarity.'

'Of course I am.' Rei was standing on steadier ground now. She'd found her feet, because she could sense that Aizen wasn't lying. What she couldn't guess were his motives for telling the truth. 'But being jealous of Orihime didn't make me love you.'

'Ah, I understand. It made you see me for who I really am, I suppose,' Aizen replied, amusement dancing in his eyes.

'That's interesting too,' Rei noted, watching his smile form again. 'You seem to think that my knowing what you're really like and me falling in love with you are two mutually exclusive events.'

'Is that an incorrect assumption?' There was seduction in Aizen's voice again, and Rei's heart leapt at the sound of it.

'Well, what are the two different cases?' she replied. 'Either your hypothesis is correct, or it isn't. Let's say you're right, and no one can ever love your true self, least of all me. Then, assuming that what Orihime-san told me about you was correct, you've failed to achieve your goal.'

'And what did Orihime-chan tell you about me?' Aizen looked interested, but Rei knew it was artificial.

'You know already.' She folded her arms. 'You didn't peacefully leave Seireitei, like you would have had me believe. You're no expatriate, Aizen-sama. You betrayed the Shinigami and then you left them.'

'Does that bother you?' Rei could tell the interest in his face was genuine this time around.

'Not particularly, no. I suspect I would have done the same thing. I never told you that I used to think about killing my mother.'

There. She'd said it, the secret that she'd never told anyone. Anyone else would have stared at her in astonishment, shock, but most probably horror. Aizen only smiled that intrigued smile again.

'I did think that might have been the case,' he said. 'Please, tell me about the alternate situation. What if my assumption is incorrect?'

Rei felt herself turn very red then. 'Then -' She stopped, almost running out of courage. 'Then it really depends on when I figured you out.'

'And when did you figure me out?' Aizen's tone was deceptively innocent.

'Neglecting the fact that I vaguely suspected you weren't the nice man you were pretending to be from when I first came to Hueco Mundo? My first concrete proof that you definitely weren't a nice person was when you told me that you murdered your own mother.'

'And you've already said that such things don't bother you, Renata-chan. So please explain to me, because I'm curious - what exactly do you define to be a _nice _person? Forgive me for taking you off track.'

Rei tried not to stare at the melting snow on Aizen's lower lip. 'Well, there are a lot of stereotypes of _nice,' _she said, thinking. 'Being nice to animals and small children, caring for other people, and things like that. Those are seen as desirable traits, and they get put under this umbrella of "nice."'

Aizen nodded.

'But they're just behaviours that are seen as being good. Really, nice and its opposite are dependent on human points of view. And points of view are all flawed anyway. _All I know for certain is that I think I am thinking. _I think it might have been René Descartes who said that. I can't really remember.'

'A logical conclusion.' Aizen was smiling still, and Rei knew that her answer to his question had pleased him. 'So if I don't conform to these ideas of good, therefore I must be bad, as far as general opinion is concerned.'

'And general opinion is flawed. Therefore, whether you are good or bad is irrelevant, since those terms are essentially meaningless,' Rei finished.

'May I assume then, that you consider morality to be trivial? It is, under that argument.' Aizen rested his hand on his chin.

'It is, really, when you think about it.' Rei looked at him. 'Morals are just points of view.'

'And points of view are flawed. I see. So my assumption was incorrect. The fact that you know me for who I really am,' Aizen concluded, 'has no bearing on whether or not you love me.'

Rei shivered, and suddenly Sousuke's arm was around her, turning her body to face his own.

'You're cold,' he noted, seemingly indifferently.

She felt him drawing her into him. Rei couldn't have resisted it even if she'd wanted to. His arm was around her waist, and she was leaning into him, her head underneath his chin.

Rei couldn't stop herself. She buried her face in his neck, breathing deeply. He smelt like cinnamon and warm tea and _Sousuke, _and all those things melted away the last of her defences.

Sousuke chuckled again, and Rei felt the sound in his throat. 'Either way, I've lost this game, haven't I, Renata-chan? I couldn't make you pine for me by using Inoue Orihime. And she's really quite attractive.'

'You should have told me you were morally bankrupt as soon as I followed Tousen-san here,' Rei mumbled into his neck. 'That would have done it.' Then his last words hit home, and she levered herself away from him. 'Do you really think she's attractive?' she asked, looking Sousuke in the eye.

He looked amused. 'Of course.'

'Then why didn't you keep her instead of me?' Rei asked, perfectly neutral. 'Don't lie and try to flatter me. I can't compete with that.'

'Oh, Renata-chan. Don't underestimate yourself. You're quite appealing as well.' With that, Sousuke pulled her back against his body, tilting her head up with his other hand.

Rei knew what he was going to do before he did it, and closed her eyes.

She'd missed him. She'd imagined the moment so many times, wearing the memory thin almost, that she'd almost forgotten what his kiss was really like.

His lips moved against hers, with that same subtle confidence that she'd noticed the first time. Sousuke parted his own lips first in invitation, and Rei gladly accepted. She licked the melting snow off his lower lip, and then he took control. His tongue moved inside her mouth, tracing along her teeth, eliciting an involuntary noise from Rei before he withdrew.

She heard that amused chuckle in the back of his throat, and he leaned forward again, the curl of hair between his eyes brushing the side of her nose. He moved his head down lower, kissing first her upper lip and then the lower. His mouth closed around her lower lip, lingering there for a moment before he moved further down.

Sousuke kissed her chin, then the line of her jaw, then moved down to her throat. Even to Rei, inexperienced as she was, there was something innately sensual about the warmth of his mouth on her neck, the way she kept feeling his teeth graze against her skin.

All of a sudden, he stopped, lifting his face. 'Besides, I have to say I'm disappointed, Renata-chan,' he said reprovingly.

Rei thought for a moment that he was talking about kissing her, and felt vaguely nauseous.

'I would have thought that you could recognise that Inoue Orihime could never be queen of Hueco Mundo,' he continued, straightening. 'She's far too soft-hearted.'

Rei did a double take. 'Queen - of Hueco Mundo?' she repeated. 'But you -'

'I don't love you?' Sousuke finished for her. 'That's certainly true. However, I am very much attracted to you, and you are very much attracted to me.' He smiled, and Rei's entire body tingled at the wickedness in his eyes. 'And you and Gin are the only two people in the world who are capable of standing on the same intellectual level as me.'

He moved down to kiss her again, and Rei lost herself in him. Her hands moved over his shoulders, fingers knotting themselves in his hair. Part of her could hardly believe that Sousuke - Lord Aizen - had chosen her.

The rest of her could believe it all too well. After all, he'd simply spoken the truth.

There was no way Aizen Sousuke would ever choose anyone inferior to him to rule by his side, as his equal, as his queen. It was laughably obvious now that Inoue Orihime could never have replaced Rei.

Orihime didn't have anywhere near enough steel in her.

* * *

As if I wasn't already enough of a creepy Aizen fangirl, I've started looking at his neck every time I see a screenshot of him. Rei gets her random urge to kiss Aizen's neck directly from me. ^_^

God he's pretty. I showed him to a friend of mine who'd never seen Bleach, and she also agreed that he was incredibly gorgeous. I've tried to decide which part of him is my favourite, but everything's so damn perfect it's hard to pick a feature. . I'm going to have to say either mouth, eyes, hair, or neck, though.

Please don't be weirded out by my strange fixation with Aizen's neck. Although I know that might be kind of hard to do.


	39. Samael

So, episode 295.

Two words: Hot. Damn. And I'm sure as hell not talking about Ichigo. (Call me crazy, but I never thought of him as attractive. He's just too young, if that makes sense, both in years and mentally.) I totally saved a screenshot of Aizen revealing the Hougyoku implanted in him. For someone who used to look like a schoolteacher, he has a very nice body. ^_^

Oh and guess what…this story now has OVER 9000 hits. Yeah, just thought I'd share that with everyone. Thank you to you (yes, YOU) for reading this story, and reviewing if you reviewed. And alerting, or favouriting, or whatever. It's very much appreciated.

Devil's Chess Game is OVER, people, but the mindfuckery and manipulation isn't. Also, I am TRYING to write a novel, but Aizen is making me write HIS fanfiction. Damn you, chibi Aizen in the back of my brain.

Aizen: It's not my fault you can't say no to me. No one can.

Me: Stop being so cute, damn it!

Aizen: Never.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 39

Samael

_

* * *

You showed me dreams,_

_I wish they'd turn into real. _

_You broke the promise_

…

_The smile when you tore me apart. _

**-Angels, Within Temptation**

It nearly killed Grimmjow to bend down on one knee to the pair of them.

There was a second throne in Las Noches as well, literally as well as figuratively. And she calmly regarded her subordinates from it, Aizen's smile in her face and eyes.

The marble throne was identical to Aizen's, placed right next to it. Grimmjow didn't miss the symbolism. Aizen wanted to broadcast the message that Amane was his equal.

If Amane had wanted to throw down that red-headed human woman, she'd certainly succeeded. She'd risen to the top, higher even than Ichimaru Gin, to sit upon the firmament with the devil.

The devil in question glanced at the woman next to him, and Grimmjow subconsciously tightened his fists at the look on Aizen's face. Funny, how the Shinigami gloating had never bothered him before.

He wanted to wipe that smirk off Aizen's face. No, he wanted to rip Aizen's face off Aizen's twisted fuck of a head.

Aizen leaned in towards Amane, whispering something in her ear. Amane smiled, looking sideways at him.

Fuck, she was even _dressed _like Aizen now. The hoop-skirted dress she'd once worn was gone, replaced with a long white affair that adhered more closely to the shape of her body. Doubtless Aizen had given that to her as well. Amane rested a gloved hand on the arm of her throne, and Grimmjow wanted even more to kill the Shinigami next to her.

He didn't understand it, and thus hated it. Aizen had screwed her around, and Amane had admitted that she knew that. Aizen had made Amane cry. For that alone Grimmjow wanted to hit him.

Aizen had brought her up high, and chances were he would knock her down again. It was the kind of thing he'd be likely to laugh at. If anyone thought Amane really had the same authority as Aizen, they were kidding themselves.

'Is Inoue-san here?' Amane was the one who spoke, her voice still soft and high and childish.

_She's just a kid. _

Obviously Aizen didn't think that was the case. Grimmjow stopped himself from going any further, because if he even considered the idea of Amane sharing Aizen's bed he was likely to Cero the Shinigami on the spot.

'I have brought the woman.' Ulquiorra stepped forward, face expressionless as usual. That was something Grimmjow could take comfort from, at least. Ulquiorra didn't like the idea of Amane Rei as Aizen's queen any more than Grimmjow did, albeit for different reasons. As far as Grimmjow could tell, Ulquiorra tolerated Amane but only because she was Aizen's favourite. He wasn't sure what the Cuatra Espada's reasons were, but he knew Ulquiorra definitely didn't like Amane being up there next to his precious Aizen-sama.

Inoue Orihime stood behind Ulquiorra, hands clasped in front of her. She was looking down, away from Aizen.

_Good for you, _Grimmjow thought darkly. _Better watch he doesn't try and get you to love him as well. _

'I have news for you, Orihime.' Aizen was speaking, looking down at the girl. 'I'm sure you'll be pleased to hear it.' He leaned forward in his seat. 'Unfortunately, I was a little less pleased. Some friends of yours have arrived here in Hueco Mundo.'

Orihime said nothing, not even raising her head to meet Aizen's glance.

'You don't seem surprised,' Aizen commented.

'Forgive me, Aizen-sama,' Ulquiorra addressed his superior. 'I already told her. I suspect she would have sensed their reiatsu soon if I had not.'

Aizen inclined his head. 'Please don't feel the need to apologise, Ulquiorra. I trust you to do what you think is best where Orihime-chan is concerned.'

Grimmjow caught the subtle reproof in Aizen's voice. Once upon a time he would have been gloating himself, seeing Ulquiorra getting told off by the Shinigami.

Now he just wondered at the Cuatra's motives. Had Ulquiorra started to care about Orihime? Would Aizen decide to kill two birds with one stone and tear Ulquiorra and Amane apart at the same time? Would Aizen take Orihime away from Ulquiorra to be his new pet?

No, Grimmjow was being stupid. Ulquiorra didn't have any feelings. That much was clear.

'Don't worry yourself, Orihime. I won't harm your friends.' Aizen's voice was soothing.

The girl looked up at him then, eyes wide with hope. _Sucked in, _Grimmjow thought bitterly.

'The ones who have entered Hueco Mundo are Kuchiki Rukia, Yasutora Sado, Abarai Renji, and Ishida Uryuu,' Aizen continued. He rested his chin on his hand, looking thoughtful. 'Oh, that's right. I've forgotten someone.'

Orihime flinched, and Grimmjow knew the name, even as Aizen parted his lips to speak it.

'Kurosaki Ichigo,' he said casually, as if the orange-haired Shinigami were hardly worth a footnote. 'As your friends are, they are not disturbing me, or my realm, or any of my subjects. As long as this doesn't change, I am content to leave them to their own devices.'

That sounded true enough, but Grimmjow knew what was coming.

'I am sorry to have to tell you this, Orihime.' Aizen paused delicately. 'If the situation changes - that is, if your friends do anything which indicates that they seek to do harm to me or to my subjects in Hueco Mundo - then I will be considerably less merciful. As such, I am keeping your friends under close surveillance.' He turned to his side. 'And I have entrusted this task to you, my dear Lady Amane.'

Amane smiled at that. Grimmjow saw the satisfaction in her face, looking down at a subdued Orihime. It was the look of someone who had nothing to fear, someone whose star was in the ascendant.

Orihime had been unlucky, making an enemy of her.

'Of course, Aizen-sama,' Amane replied. 'I am also in charge of apprehending the intruders if necessary, is that correct?'

Aizen nodded. 'They are strong,' he said. 'Orihime can testify to that, can't you, Orihime-chan?' He looked at her again. 'After all, they've been the ones who've stood to protect you so many times in the past. Especially Kurosaki Ichigo.'

Orihime's cheeks flamed at the veiled insult. It didn't take much for Grimmjow to figure out that Aizen had delivered that one for Amane's benefit.

_The bastard knows she can't stand that woman, _he thought. _He's just buttering her up. _

'Yes, Lord Aizen.' Amane turned her head towards him. 'If necessary, I am to use extreme force. I understand.'

She looked in Orihime's direction too. Grimmjow saw her wait until the other human met her gaze before smirking.

Amane was gloating just as much as Aizen was, he realized. She was enjoying her rival's downfall, just as Aizen was.

As if Aizen could hear Grimmjow's thoughts, his head turned in Grimmjow's direction, and he smiled.

Grimmjow could read that smile as clearly as if it were an open book.

_I found out what you wanted before you even realised you wanted it, and now she belongs to me. You cannot hope to compete with me, Grimmjow Jaggerjack. _

Grimmjow fought to keep himself at bay.

He wasn't going to give the bastard an excuse to kill him. This fight wasn't over yet. Grimmjow was still alive and well, and so was Amane.

He made up his mind, not giving a shit whether or not it was possible.

He was going to take Amane from Aizen, if it was the last thing he did.

* * *

Wow, Rei has Grimmjow and Aizen fighting over her. I have to say, I'm kinda jealous.

Admittedly, Grimmjow doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell in a manipulating game. Sorry, Grimmjow. Putting you through more shit again, I guess.

Aizen - He's in Hueco Mundo, stealing your women (Grimmjow and Ulquiorra and Ichigo)…and your job (Shinji)…and your sanity (Hitsugaya)…and your throne (Barragan)…and your virginity (Harribel)…and the Hougyoku (Urahara). Basically he's spent a century nicking other people's stuff…This is reflected in crossover fics. If there's something incredibly valuable and/or powerful in existence, chances are Aizen's going to pinch it. I'm sensing a pattern here…kleptomaniac, anyone?


	40. Lucrezia

Holy crap Rei is a female version of Light Yagami.

Just saying.

It would explain a lot. I recently came up with this theory that Light Yagami was actually Aizen, when Aizen was alive and human.

Although for that to be the case, Bleach would have to be set like 200 years in the future. Damn it.

Oh well. Light and his Death Note were a part of Aizen's plan anyways. Lol, I sniggered a bit when Aizen told Ichigo that 'all your battles have been part of my plan.' Aizen's plan…Clearly I've been looking at too many Aizen demotivationals.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 40

Lucrezia

_

* * *

I was born in another world_

_Strictly connected to a piece of my mind_

…

_I am the princess in there_

_Nothing wrong in my fantasy world_

_I am the king, the nation_

_No dictators or religions_

_No laws laid down for me_

_I have my own liberty inside of me_

…

_Nothing to lose_

_I want to live here. _

**-To Myself I Turned, Lacuna Coil**

Rei breathed in deeply. Even breathing brought a sense of strength with it.

She was queen of Hueco Mundo now, Sousuke's queen. And she was enjoying all the perks that went with it now.

She quite literally had an entire world at her feet, hers to do with as she wished. Rei wasn't stupid, though. The euphoria she still felt at being chosen by Aizen Sousuke, her and no one else, hadn't blinded her to the reality of things.

There was no such thing as complacency in Las Noches. If Rei wanted to keep her place at the top, she would have to do just that. Ilforte Granz had already made it clear that she wasn't exactly popular among the Arrancar.

But then, by the looks of things, neither was Aizen.

The best way Rei could think of to describe his dominion over Hueco Mundo and its inhabitants was an iron fist in a velvet glove. She knew what he was capable of, who he really was. She knew that what Orihime had told her about Sousuke had been true. Sousuke had told her himself, with that slight smile of amusement, as the two of them had sat in his room sipping tea.

He had murdered Seireitei's entire judicial body and taken its place, secretly sending his own orders to the rest of Soul Society. He had faked his own death, breaking his lieutenant's heart, and attempted to manipulate Hinamori Momo and Ichimaru Gin's former lieutenant into killing each other. When that hadn't worked, Aizen had run the girl through with Kyouka Suigetsu, leaving her to die in a pool of her own blood.

Rei had openly admired the plan, and she'd been able to tell that the flattery had pleased Sousuke.

'But why kill Hinamori?' she'd asked. 'You went to a lot of effort to do it, and it wasn't really crucial to your plan to betray Soul Society. She didn't know anything. She was essentially useless. Why waste time and energy killing her?'

'She loved me,' Sousuke had replied, looking at her over the rim of his tea cup. 'Or rather, she loved the person I was pretending to be. Of course, she was heartbroken when her Aizen-taicho turned out to be an illusion.' He had laughed, placing the cup down. 'I was merely putting her out of her misery.'

'What was she like, your lieutenant?' Rei had asked.

'She was highly proficient at Kidou. Some might have called her a prodigy.' Sousuke had regarded Rei then. 'She was like you in that respect.'

'Hardly,' Rei had replied. 'You said it yourself. I couldn't perform Kurohitsugi properly.'

'It _was _the worst Kurohitsugi I've ever seen,' Sousuke had said lightly, resting his chin on folded hands to look at her. 'But it takes most Shinigami years to be able to cast it at all. Even so, I suspect you might have only been able to do it thanks to Ilforte's provocation.'

Rei had narrowed her eyes at that. 'That's a pretty backhanded compliment,' she'd accused.

Sousuke had acknowledged it with a nod. 'My little Hinamori was very trusting,' he'd continued, referring to her original question. 'She was naïve, always believing the best of me.'

'So nothing like me, then,' Rei had replied, moving closer to him on the couch.

'Indeed, my dear.' Sousuke had chuckled at that, silencing her with a kiss.

That had distracted Rei and made her forget all the questions she'd wanted to ask. She'd been meaning to find out about the Hougyoku, about how he'd made Soul Society believe he was dead, and most importantly, what his Zanpakutou did.

As much as it pained her to think it, it was highly unlikely that Aizen Sousuke would keep her around forever. If she ever slipped, or fell down, or couldn't keep up with him, she would lose her place.

Rei didn't intend to let that happen, but in the event that it did, she wanted to know what she was up against. And that meant knowing about Kyouka Suigetsu.

She couldn't keep putting it off. She needed to find out what it did, and soon. After all, she had a major advantage - she could tell when Aizen was lying.

But his kisses were very, very distracting.

On the surface, Sousuke had been a perfect gentleman - well, almost perfect. The most physical contact they'd shared was kissing, but that seemed too earthly a word to describe it. Rei wondered how many girls, how many women much older than her, had gone before her. She wondered how many of them had done more than kiss him.

Whenever his mouth met hers, Rei was acutely conscious of Sousuke's entire body, just inches from her own. His hands, pianist's hands with their long fingers, never did anything more than rest lightly on her shoulders, hips, and once, to Rei's heart-thudding excitement and nervousness, her knee.

Always, whenever he touched her, she could feel that hidden sensuality there. She could feel it when he trailed kisses down her throat, always stopping just above the hollow where her collarbones met. It was as though he was part vampire. Rei could always feel his teeth whenever he kissed the thin skin where she knew her jugular vein was, his breath growing warmer against her neck as if the pulse of her blood excited him.

His voice was always slightly husky just afterwards, and Rei couldn't put a name to what it was, but knew it had to have something to do with sex.

Just thinking the word embarrassed her, and she felt her cheeks grow warm. Of course she knew it shouldn't come as a surprise. Rei was in a relationship with a man who was much, much older than her, and Aizen Sousuke -

_God, _she thought. _He's so beautiful. He must have been with - lots of women before me. _

As shy and inexperienced as she was about physical intimacy, Rei couldn't help but wonder how it would feel to have his hands with those long skilled fingers touching her all over her body. She reddened violently at the thought, because once it would have seemed so very wrong.

_He's actually sixteen times my age, _she thought wryly. _That'd be considered paedophilia - and statutory rape - in pretty much every country. _

But nothing was wrong to her, or forbidden to her. She was Aizen's queen, and he was her king.

Even so, sleeping with him would be a stupid thing for her to do. Rei knew he didn't love her. If he had the chance, if he had someone better, he would cast her aside.

That was part of the reason she still looked sideways at Inoue Orihime.

Sousuke had said it himself, that Orihime could never rule by his side in Hueco Mundo. But he'd also said she was attractive. Just because Rei had won the coveted position of power didn't mean that Aizen wouldn't decide to have Orihime on the side.

But she couldn't kill Orihime, as she'd killed Luppi, because Aizen needed the girl's power.

It was a problem which Rei had solved by taking the next best alternative. She was devoting as much spare time as she felt like parting with to making sure Inoue Orihime's stay in Hueco Mundo was as miserable as possible.

It was childish, she knew. And Inoue was no danger to her. It was as pointless as Sousuke planning Hinamori Momo's death in Soul Society. Essentially, Rei could tell, he'd thought it would be amusing to kill her, and had done it for sport. She was essentially achieving nothing. If Aizen preferred Orihime to her, then that was it for Rei, regardless of how much Orihime hated her imprisonment in Las Noches. What Sousuke wanted, Sousuke got.

But it gave Rei a certain satisfaction to rearrange Orihime's room, making sure that the comfortable couch the girl had was relocated to her own living space. It made her smile to see Orihime flinch every time she mentioned placing security measures around Las Noches to Aizen. When she saw Loli and Menoly sneaking towards Orihime's room on the live camera feed, Rei turned a blind eye. Clearly those Arrancar girls hadn't learnt anything from trying to pick on Rei herself. Szayel had even told them about the camera surveillance. Rei wondered for a moment if stupidity was a progressive condition.

Well, she wasn't complaining.

It did look like Ulquiorra wasn't too happy with her, though. Ulquiorra silently obeyed any order Sousuke gave him, as soon as the words had left his master's mouth. With Rei, however - she always noticed the slightest hesitation before the Cuatra Espada complied, even if she asked him to do something as simple as check on Orihime for her.

Was it because she was, essentially, picking on Orihime just because she felt like it? Rei didn't know. But then Ilforte had made a point, and Ulquiorra was only proving the dead Arrancar right.

Not all the Espada liked her, or even respected her. Yammy Riyulga made it quite obvious that he resented having to obey her, and was only doing it so as not to risk punishment from Aizen.

And Rei knew that the situation wouldn't remain passive as it was for long. She would have to do something before one of the two of them openly challenged her authority.

She already had an idea of how to get rid of Ulquiorra. She just needed to think of something similar for Yammy.

Sousuke probably wouldn't be happy about it. After all, he'd said something about creating the Arrancar to Orihime. He'd probably be more than slightly annoyed if Rei destroyed two of his most powerful creations.

But with any luck, Rei could make her influence untraceable. And if Sousuke did realise it had been her doing -

Well, he would have done the same thing in her position.

* * *

In case any of you missed it, the chapter title refers to Lucrezia Borgia, who was manipulative and had no morals and basically killed people left right and centre, just like Rei's doing.

I swear she's got a Death Note on her somewhere. And she's _my _OC…I should know about these things. I have the sneaking suspicion I've created a monster…


	41. Breakdown Sphere

Well, I nerded out on the bus ride home from work tonight because…

…there was a Vizard Ichigo cosplayer on my bus! XDDDDDDDDDDD

I didn't work up the courage to go over to him and say that I liked his costume. It still made my day.

Although, DAMN I wish I'd gone to Otakufest. Stupid work making me work.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 41

Breakdown Sphere

_

* * *

For the pain and the sorrow,_

_Those were my mistakes_

_Won't repent to a mortal_

_Whom is all to blame_

…

_I'll face it_

_Because it's the heart of everything. _

**-The Heart of Everything, Within Temptation**

Aizen took in the sight of the girl standing before him.

Renata's mouth was curved in a half-smile, one part flirtatiousness, the other part curiosity. The outfit she was wearing fit her small, slender body more closely than the dress Ulquiorra had given her. It was clear enough that Grimmjow thought that was Aizen's intention rather than Renata's choice. Aizen had seen the scowls the Sexta Espada shot him when the Arrancar thought he wasn't looking.

Doubtless Grimmjow had some amusingly simplistic plan to win Renata for himself. That made Aizen smile.

'You wanted to show me something, Sousuke-san?' she said.

'I did.' Aizen beckoned her forward from his seat on the couch, motioning her to sit next to him. She did so, folding her hands in her lap like a schoolgirl again.

'I've noticed you've been doing your best to make Orihime feel welcome here,' he said.

Renata looked up at him, her eyes wide and artificially innocent. 'So I have,' she replied. 'Does that please you, Sousuke-san?'

The smile stayed on Aizen's face. 'You really don't like her, do you, Renata-chan?' he asked, reaching out to toy with a curl of her hair. She wore it differently now, fastened at the back of her head in a bun to fall loosely down behind.

'Is it that obvious?' Renata asked, not looking alarmed at all.

'Only to me, I think,' Aizen replied, releasing the strand of hair. 'But then nothing escapes me. You know that.'

It was true that he saw all in Las Noches. It was true that he knew Renata disliked Orihime, but Aizen only knew about it because Renata wasn't bothering to hide it from him. He still couldn't see inside her head, and therefore she was a risk. That was the reason he was still keeping a secret from her.

Kyouka Suigetsu was at his hip, as it always was. Admittedly, Aizen had acknowledged before that his Zanpakutou would most likely be of limited use against Renata. There was an excellent chance that she would be like Unohana Retsu and sense something off about any illusion he tried to trick her with. Nevertheless, it was his secret weapon, which he intended to use as a fallback if she ever tried to usurp him.

It was obviously unlikely that she'd succeed if she did try. Aizen was confident in his strength. He could crush Renata like an ant if he so wished. But he would prefer to keep her intact if at all possible. She would be no fun at all if she was broken.

'I've treated you unfairly, Renata-chan. It's hardly right that I show Inoue Orihime the Hougyoku, yet keep it hidden from the queen of Hueco Mundo,' Aizen continued, drawing Renata's attention to the pillar rising out of the floor.

He motioned with his hand, and cylindrical slices spiralled off the top, revealing his treasure.

Renata leaned forward, her curiosity piqued. She stared at the tiny sphere, iridescent light playing in its depths. There was no wonder in her face, just keen interest.

'What does it do?' she asked.

Aizen laughed. 'Do?'

She looked at him with an expression of wry amusement on her face. 'Of course. I'd have a hard time believing that Aizen Sousuke, of all people, set up an elaborate plan to betray Soul Society and stab dozens of people in the back just so that he could steal a shiny marble.' She paused. 'And besides, you mentioned using it to create the Arrancar when you were talking to Orihime.'

'Precisely.' Aizen leaned back in his seat. 'Shinigami and Hollows are two classes of spiritual entity. Each is limited in its ability to attain power. Even obsessive and rigorous training will only advance an individual - for example, a Shinigami - so far. Eventually both Shinigami and Hollows encounter personal limits. However, by removing the barrier between the two states of being, a much greater level of power can be obtained. This is the Hougyoku's power.'

'Ah.' Renata nodded. 'Hence the name "Breakdown Sphere."'

'Yes,' Aizen agreed. 'We call this process Hollowfication, when it is done to a Shinigami.'

'I see.' Renata frowned. 'So can a Hollowfication give a Shinigami extra powers, as well as making them stronger?'

'It really depends on the individual case.'

'So what does your Hollowfication do to you?' she asked him.

Aizen looked at her. 'That's quite an assumption. What leads you to think I would Hollowfy myself?'

Renata shrugged. 'It's the logical thing to do, isn't it?' she asked. 'I mean, you have this technique which can increase your original strength - by a _lot, _from the look of things. You've used the Hougyoku on all the Espada, and they're ridiculously strong. I'd never be able to fight one and win. Even the other Arrancar - we both know I got lucky with Ilforte.' She paused. 'Why wouldn't you give yourself a Hollowfication, if it'd make you stronger?'

'A valid argument,' Aizen acknowledged. 'I am telling you the truth when I say I have not undergone Hollowfication. But you are partially correct. I have modified myself using the Hougyoku.'

'Really?' The look of interest on Renata's face sharpened. 'What did you do? What _can _you do? Can I see?'

'Perhaps at some point,' Aizen said. 'In honesty, it might be difficult for you to witness.'

Renata looked puzzled, then a little indignant. 'I'm not some child who'd be frightened at seeing you transform into something other than yourself,' she retorted. 'I thought you of all people would have realised by now that I don't scare easily, Sousuke-san.'

'That wasn't what I meant,' Aizen replied. 'Even now, you sometimes find it difficult to withstand my spiritual pressure. Isn't that so?'

Renata nodded unwillingly.

'I can see that just sitting here next to me is difficult for you if you lose too much focus.' It was true. Aizen could feel the girl's reiatsu wavering against his own, trying not to be overwhelmed. 'I become much stronger in my modified state. It's possible that I could knock you unconscious, or even kill you.'

Renata nodded slowly. 'Can I touch it?' she asked, moving her hand towards the Hougyoku.

Aizen nodded, giving his consent.

Renata reached down inside the column, and took his Breakdown Sphere in her hand.

Aizen's eyes widened. He would admit that Renata had gotten into the habit of surprising him, but he had never expected this.

Her reiatsu peaked and flared, stronger than the explosion in the throne room. It was almost as strong as his own.

Startled, Renata dropped the Hougyoku. Aizen heard the clink as it fell on the floor, rolling away to rest not far from his feet.

She drew in a long ragged breath, and slumped against him. Her eyes were still open, but just barely.

'Sousuke,' she whispered. 'I'm -'

Aizen drew her into his body, and Renata buried her face in his chest. 'I feel so tired,' she mumbled. 'Like I'm going to faint.'

'You have lost a vast amount of reiryoku,' Aizen told her. He limited his own reiatsu as much as he could. She was in no condition to resist him now.

Feeling as if it was Hinamori Momo in his arms again, Aizen summoned healing Kidou to his hands. Green light played around his fingertips, replenishing her depleted reiryoku from his own.

'Mmm…what are you doing?' Renata looked up at him, eyes blinking wearily.

'I'd be disappointed in you if you were so rude as to faint on me, Renata-chan,' Aizen said, his rebuke tempered with amusement. His hand came to rest on her back, and she closed her eyes with a sigh. 'Now please remain still. I _am _trying to revive you, after all.'

Renata ignored his earlier request, moving forwards on his lap. Her body twisted, and her knees parted either side of his legs. 'Sousuke -' she murmured, addressing him without the honorific. 'It feels nice.'

She fell forward then, almost in a collapse. Her mouth connected with his, warm and clumsy, and her whole body slid forwards. Renata's hips collided with Aizen's own. She was kissing him eagerly but slowly, the draining effect of the Hougyoku evident in her movements.

This was certainly an interesting development. Aizen was amused for a moment at the realisation that a simple healing Kidou could have induced such a reaction in his young queen. Perhaps he could have saved himself time and effort if he'd known about this particular vulnerability before.

Aizen's back was pressed against the couch. Renata's weight, little as that was, was keeping him there. Her legs were either side of his waist, her thighs pinning his hips down. It had been years, decades even, since Aizen had been in anything like a submissive position. Strangely enough, his libido responded to Renata's attentions almost immediately.

Aizen worked the Kidou through his hands, pouring his reiryoku into her own. Renata's kissing slowly gained in energy. She was kissing down his nose, occasionally moving to his chin and neck, but always returning to his mouth before too long. That made sense. His mouth had always been a source of fixation, of desire, for the women and even the men he'd bedded.

Aizen wondered for a moment if Renata knew what she was initiating. He heard her gasp when he levered himself up, altering their positions, so that she fell down horizontally onto the couch and he was on top of her. Yes, this was what he was used to. Aizen was accustomed to dominance, even in the bedroom.

He delved his tongue into her mouth, feeling her warm and responsive and wonderfully, wonderfully submissive. He fully intended to take his time with this, to enjoy her for as long as it was possible to do so.

Or did he?

Aizen knew full well he could take her now if he so wished, and Renata wouldn't have the will or the physical capacity to resist him. The effect of the Hougyoku on her reiatsu had weakened both her body and her mind. The slight increase in energy she'd had before was gone now. When Aizen lifted his head away from hers, she blinked drowsily, already half-asleep.

Yes, he could take Renata's virginity, here and now without any opposition on her part. But Aizen had already known that he'd wanted to take his time with her. Lying on top of her now, even unmistakeably aroused as he was, he knew that to go any further would feel rushed and improvised. If there was anything Aizen avoided wherever possible, it was improvisation.

No, he wanted to plan it out, as he did everything else. And Aizen certainly didn't want Renata to be on the verge of falling asleep when the time came.

He'd slept with many human women on his ventures to the real world in his lifetime, men as well, although they caught Aizen's eye more rarely. Each time Aizen had ensured that his conquest would remember the night with him long after he himself was gone.

And this was Renata's virginity. Her first time with him would be irreplaceable. It would be terribly rude of him to lavish the most pleasurable experience of Renata's entire life on her when she wasn't conscious enough to appreciate it fully.

Aizen rose, lifting her up into his arms.

'Where are we going?' That whisper sounded a little trepid. Aizen suspected what she was thinking, and knew he'd made the right decision. She'd obviously had no idea what she was initiating, and wasn't ready for this yet.

'I told you, Renata-chan. I'm a man of my word.' He kissed her forehead. 'And I've said already that I wouldn't be so rude as to do anything untoward. Especially not to my queen.'

Aizen carried her to his bedroom, laying her on the bed and smiling inwardly at the irony of it. Contrary to popular belief, he did have a sense of humour. 'Please rest,' he told her, leaving and closing the door behind him.

* * *

Wow, Rei practically tried to rape Aizen. Not that I can say I wouldn't do the same if I was in her position. ;)

I've been going through and noticed that there's a hell of a lot of rape fics involving Aizen as the rapist. The identity of the victim varies a lot - I've seen Aizen raping Rukia (that was just random), Ichigo (pfft. As if. AiIchi is practically canon. Did you see that provocative pose Aizen showed Ichigo in episode 295? And Ichigo totally liked it), Byakuya (also kind of random, considering they hardly share ANY screen time), Grimmjow, and even Gin when he was a kid. (That last one - it was kind of fucked up. Even though I've recently discovered that I like AiGin. It is relevant to my interests. ^_^).

_Anyway, _my point is that I don't understand how Aizen can be a rapist. Because for that to happen, the other person has to _not _want it. And…it's Aizen. How can you not want it? It makes me confused. :S (Silly Harribel.) Because Aizen's damn good in bed, and he knows it. As we saw in this chapter…heh. (I feel like a super pervert just for writing that sentence. For writing this entire chapter. Oh well, my excuse is that Aizen made me do it.)

* * *

Aizen: Indeed I did. And don't forget to make me the seme when you get around to writing my lemon.

Me: Dude, you're ALWAYS the seme. In every fanfic I've ever read.

Aizen: That is as it should be. Except for that uke picture that woman drew of me on DeviantArt.

Me: I have to agree with you. That was some disturbing shit, right there.

* * *

He was looking cute and submissive and his glasses were dangling off his face. He even had wide eyes, for fuck's sake. Uke! Aizen still occasionally appears in my head, but only in my nightmares.

And also…yes, Aizen is bi in this fic. I know I said no yaoi, but this isn't, not really. It's just implied stuff at this point. Although it's possible that will change. And I will give everyone fair warning if that turns out to be the case. Considering I'm making this stuff up as I go along with only a vague idea of where it's heading.

Final note for this incredibly long A/N? I have assumed here that Aizen is capable of removing the Hougyoku _after _he's fused with it. I was kind of unsure as to whether he can do that or not...I couldn't really see him randomly walking around with a 'shiny marble' embedded in his pretty, pretty chest just for the hell of it. If anyone can say with any certainty that this is not the case, please do PM me or something and I'll adjust this chapter. I checked the Bleach Wiki, but went away unenlightened.


	42. For the Sake of the Queen

First of all

ISSHIN FUCK YES!

Okay, now that I've gotten that out of my system…

I swear that woman who came into the pharmacy where I work had a bleached Kuriboh on top of her head. That thing cannot have been hair. It was way too fluffy and evil-looking.

Also liking how the battery meter on my laptop has gone from having 11 minutes remaining to 9 minutes remaining over the space of about half an hour.

And it died right after I typed that. The universe really loves to hate me.

Exams are suckiness. I'm sorry, Earth Science. I really don't give a crap about glacial flow. Hence why I am dropping this subject next year, to do straight chemistry.

EMSC1006 = Giant Bullshit Course. I've come to the conclusion that all the science courses at ANU except for chemistry are shit. Imo, anyways.

More people with plans in this chapter.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 42

For the Sake of the Queen

_

* * *

Are you lost in your lies?_

_Do you tell yourself I don't realise_

_Your crusade's a disguise_

_Replace freedom with fear,_

_You trade money for lives_

…

_I'm aware of what you've done. _

**-No More Sorrow, Linkin Park**

He was doing Amane-sama's bidding now, just as he did Aizen-sama's.

Szayel tightened the lid on the sample vial. He'd finished manufacturing the drug, just as Amane-sama had asked him to. She'd been down in his lab more than once over the past few days, and she'd made this…whatever it was.

Szayel couldn't lie. He had a vague idea of what the chemical did, from the structure she'd given him and the steps he'd taken to complete the synthesis. As it was, it wasn't active. If injected into his own bloodstream, the reagent would do nothing. It was just that - a reagent. It was designed to react with something else, that much he could tell, but nothing that was present in Szayel's own bloodstream or that of any other Arrancar.

Amane had been doing something with a blood sample. Szayel had seen the deep red liquid in the syringe in her hand, seen her operating his mass spectrometer. She'd been analysing the chemical structure of some blood component, he guessed, and she'd made this thing in response to it.

From the research Szayel had done for Lord Aizen, he knew the girl was intellectually advanced for her age, a prodigy even. Granted, she was an idle teenager in Las Noches, probably with nothing better to do. Even so, it didn't make sense for her to waste time synthesising an organometallic complex seemingly for the hell of it.

There was a bang, and Szayel looked up disinterestedly at the sudden noise. He was greeted with the sight of Grimmjow, who stormed into his laboratory and stood in front of him, arms folded.

'Grimmjow-san,' he said, a little sarcastically. 'What a pleasant surprise.'

'I didn't come here to have tea and fuckin' biscuits with you, Aporro,' Grimmjow snapped. 'I need your help with something.'

Szayel set the sample vial down. 'If you've come to ask for my help, you stand to gain by improving your manners,' he said, reproving.

Instead of coming back at him, Grimmjow looked away from him, glaring into empty space. 'Is there anywhere we can talk?' he muttered.

Szayel grasped his meaning instantly. 'Ah, I see,' he said, answering the Sexta Espada with a lecherous grin for the benefit of the cameras Aizen had probably planted in the room. 'If that's the case, then please follow me somewhere we can be a little more - private.'

Grimmjow grimaced at the chosen charade. 'Fine,' he growled, moving closer to Szayel. 'I'll do that.'

Szayel slipped an arm around the Sexta's waist, leading him towards the reactor room. He had to power his laboratory and the rest of his palace somehow, and the fast breeder fission reactor Aizen had permitted him to construct was more than sufficient for his requirements.

The reactor chamber itself was lead-lined, so as to prevent the escape of radiation. The room's interior was a different story. Szayel hadn't bothered taking any safety measures in there. If he needed an adjustment made to the reactor, to either the control or fuel rods, he sent in one of his Fracción. He didn't particularly care if they got unnecessarily irradiated.

He was willing to bet that even if Aizen-sama was willing to expose himself - or more likely, one of his subordinates - to the effects of a considerable amount of plutonium in order to implant surveillance, no wireless camera would function in there anyway. Virtually everything was wireless controlled from the inside. There was simply too much interference in the range that Szayel knew the cameras used.

He reached out a gloved finger to enter the security code, and the heavy door slid open. Grimmjow went in first, Szayel following close behind.

When the door shut, Grimmjow narrowed his eyes. 'Never touch my ass. Ever, ever again.'

Szayel shrugged. 'It had to be convincing.' He looked at the Sexta Espada, all business. 'So what do you want? I know you wouldn't deign to ask my assistance for nothing.' Then it clicked.

'It's about that woman again, isn't it?' Szayel folded his own arms, mirroring Grimmjow's pose.

Grimmjow's fists tightened. 'It might be.'

'Fuck!' Szayel lost his temper then, kicking the door. 'What part of _let it go _are you too thick to understand?' He spat the last words out, his voice thick with rage.

Grimmjow's expression didn't change. 'Fine. I'll ask someone else if you're not going to help.'

'Who the fuck else are you going to ask?' Szayel's hair fell in his eyes. For once, he didn't care. 'Who do you seriously think would help you? Let me guess. You've cooked some harebrained scheme up to turn her over to you, have you? Is that it?'

Grimmjow looked taken aback. _As you should, _Szayel thought. 'I don't have a plan. That's why I came to you -'

'Oh, he doesn't have a plan!' Szayel laughed, sounding a little unhinged even to his own ears. 'That makes it even better! Tell me, _Grimmjow-san, _because I'm curious. Who of the Espada do you actually think would go along with this? Nnoitra would laugh in your face, Barragan would kill you for loving a human -'

'Harribel'd help me.' Grimmjow threw the reply back at him.

'Don't try and tell me what Harribel would do,' Szayel snarled, icily cold. 'You think that's going to work? You wouldn't fucking dare.'

'I would.' The blue-haired Espada's jaw stubbornly set. Szayel met that challenging stare, and wanted to scream with frustrated anger.

Because he knew that just like that, Grimmjow had won.

'You wouldn't fucking dare,' he repeated. 'Bring her into this, Jaggerjack, and I'll kill you myself. I don't care if you're the Sexta.'

'Help me, and I won't need to ask Harribel.'

It was like trying to stare down a brick wall. 'She can't possibly be worth this.' Szayel's reply was almost pleading. He and Grimmjow both knew he wasn't talking about Tia Harribel.

'She is, Aporro.'

'All _right._' Szayel kicked the wall again, ignoring the dent he left there. 'You _win. _But you know what'll happen if Aizen finds out you're trying to take her for yourself.'

Grimmjow nodded, not taking that last avenue out as Szayel had hoped he would.

'It'll make losing your arm look like a picnic.'

Grimmjow nodded impatiently. 'I've _got _it. So what's the plan?'

Szayel sighed heavily. 'You're just like those Eleventh Company Shinigami meatheads Tousen-sama used to complain about,' he muttered. 'You expect someone else to think out all the important parts while you mindlessly hack and slash away at your enemy.'

'You know Aizen better than I do.'

Szayel couldn't deny that. 'I suppose you have a point,' he conceded. 'I can guess that she's fallen in love with him because he's never shown her who he really is.'

'Damn straight,' Grimmjow spat.

'Therefore, Amane-sama needs to realise what Aizen-sama is capable of, what sort of person he's capable of being.' Despite himself, Szayel began to warm to his theme. He supposed he'd always wanted to pull something over on Lord Aizen. _Revenge for Harribel, _the back of his mind thought.

'You think we should tell her what he did to Harribel?' Grimmjow's reply was blunt.

Szayel tried to ignore the unintentional sting. 'That won't work,' he admitted. 'You know Aizen-sama. He'll just say that he's changed for the better since then, and Amane-sama will believe him.'

Grimmjow nodded slowly. 'Yeah. And I guess she might not believe us anyway. She needs to see him doing something sneaky with her own eyes.'

That gave Szayel an idea. 'No,' he disagreed.

Grimmjow looked confused. 'What?'

'No. We can do better than that. What if Amane-sama saw Lord Aizen _betray _her with her own eyes?' Szayel looked at Grimmjow side on, waiting for it to dawn.

'You mean like that stunt he pulled with Orihime?' Grimmjow shook his head vehemently. 'I can't do that to her again.'

'If it means getting her away from him, you can,' Szayel said brutally. Against his own better judgement, he wanted in on this plan now. Unwittingly, he had joined their ranks, the cast of thousands who wanted to see the downfall of the king of Hueco Mundo.

'I suppose.' Grudgingly, Grimmjow met Szayel's eyes again. 'But Aizen knew she was watching then. The bastard did it on purpose. How do we get him to do it again?'

Szayel raised an eyebrow. 'Do you really need to ask that question?'

It took a while for Grimmjow to realise what he was getting at. Then the Sexta's eyes widened. 'That's _still _going on?'

Szayel nodded. 'Recently? Not so much. Even when it was a regular occurrence it was on and off. But Aizen-sama'll go back to him eventually. He always does,' he said. 'I'm not surprised you don't know. No one would, unless they had access to the cameras. Aizen-sama's really been quite discreet about the whole thing.'

'Except for the part where they kissed in front of me,' Grimmjow said in disgust. 'That was really fuckin' weird.'

'That's why they did it,' Szayel said dismissively. 'You're so easy to wind up, Grimmjow-san. Besides, to be fair, I'm not entirely convinced that was Aizen-sama's idea.'

'Of course it was. Everything's always Aizen's fucking idea,' Grimmjow hissed.

Szayel smiled at that. Aizen probably thought he'd covered all his bases, and in a way, he had. None of the Espada would dare to say anything negative about Aizen to Amane, and none of them would dream of telling her that he'd had an ongoing - albeit purely sexual - clandestine relationship with another man.

But Amane would have no choice but to believe her own eyes. She would catch them eventually. In fact, Szayel wasn't convinced he'd have to formulate a plan at all.

This was practically going to script itself.

* * *

O_O

No prizes for guessing who Aizen's secret lover is.


	43. Bargaining Power

Okay, so…

The gradebook results for my Maths class have disappeared off the ANU website. This is definitely not good. It means they're calculating what my grade _actually is, _as opposed to the 99.47 I could kid myself I was getting (before anyone tries to say anything comforting, I know I'm not getting anything LIKE that high. I skipped _way _too many tutorials). Ignorance is definitely bliss in this case.

* * *

Me: Aizen-sama? You know how you are a wonderful and glorious God, and feel like being particularly merciful and benevolent right now?

Aizen: Possibly. It depends.

Me: On what? I'm kind of desperate.

Aizen: Use your imagination. *grins evilly*

Me: I am completely serious. If you give me decent results in these upcoming exams (like 80 percent or above decent), then I will do _anything, _wonderful, glorious, almighty Aizen-sama.

Aizen: You forgot powerful.

Me: Wonderful, glorious, almighty, powerful Aizen-sama.

Aizen: And gorgeous and sexy.

Me: Wonderful, glorious, almighty, powerful, gorgeous, sexy Aizen-sama.

Aizen: This flattery pleases me. I will consider granting your request.

Me: *bows*

Aizen: Yes. Keep that up, and I might even consider letting you repay me in sexual favours.

Me: *tries to hide nosebleed*

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 43

Bargaining Power

_

* * *

You, you look so precious_

_A diamond in the rough_

…

_But I can't sleep until this is done_

_They're in my head_

_They're in my soul. _

**-The Other Side, Pendulum**

Rei twisted, eyes opening blearily.

The room she was in was unfamiliar. It took a while for her to remember how she'd gotten there, and figure out where exactly she was.

Sousuke's bedroom.

Her cheeks tingled just thinking it. And that wasn't all. She was in Sousuke's bedroom, on Sousuke's bed.

Rei sat up. The sheets around her, apart from the depression left by her own sleeping body, were smooth and untouched. She wondered how often he slept, if he needed to sleep at all. _Did _a Shinigami need to sleep? She didn't know. She wasn't even sure if she herself still needed to sleep, or if she was just doing it out of habit.

The bed was wide and white, easily big enough to fit her - and, her mind added, Sousuke as well. Rei blushed furiously. She remembered her previous thought, that he'd probably been with other women before her.

As much as she could keep up with him mentally, she had no experience in that area at all. Again, paranoid thoughts of Inoue Orihime and her body, much curvier than Rei's own, entered her head.

_Don't be stupid, _she thought. _He's already told you himself that Orihime has no real attraction for him, apart from physically. And he should know by now that there'd be no point trying to lie about it. _

The memory came back fully, and Rei cringed in embarrassment.

She'd touched the Hougyoku, and then she'd practically thrown herself at him. And the most embarrassing part was that she didn't regret it at all.

_It would be stupid to sleep with him. _Rei quite clearly remembered thinking that. But -

_He's beautiful, _she thought, and couldn't stop the sigh that escaped from her lips. She'd been dizzy and tired and feeling faint, and the sensation of his reiryoku flowing into hers -

Rei couldn't put it into words, and she wasn't sure anyone had ever tried. It was like when she felt his reiatsu heavy against her own. It was the mingling of something that was intrinsically her, and something that was intrinsically Aizen.

Rei could still remember the easy grace Sousuke had had, leaning back as she kissed his nose and mouth, a look of mingled pleasure and wry amusement sharp in his eyes. She remembered the fluid motion of his body as he'd changed position, pinning her down underneath him.

She could say to herself that she'd let go of fear, but the thoughts that he'd inspired by lowering himself on top of her had frightened and excited Rei in equal measure.

It was the closest she'd ever been to him physically. The memory was blurred at the edges with the fatigue she'd been experiencing at the time, but still -

Rei started as the door at the other end of the room opened, and Sousuke himself entered.

Oh God. She was blushing again.

'I see you're awake, Renata-chan,' he said, moving to sit next to her on the bed.

Rei blinked, trying to wake herself up fully. 'I -' she began, but Sousuke silenced her. He put a finger to her lips.

'You're embarrassed,' he said gravely. 'Am I correct? Nod if I am.'

Rei obeyed.

Sousuke regarded her, with his dancing clever eyes. 'Are you embarrassed to be so obviously attracted to me?' he asked. 'Don't be, Renata-chan. You're definitely not the first.'

More alert now, Rei ignored the flirtatious tone in his voice. 'I assume that's why you didn't take advantage of me, then,' she said. 'If you've had that much - practice -' she reddened, 'then you must have run into situations before where you've had to restrain yourself.'

Sousuke chuckled at that. 'Hardly.' He cradled her chin in his hand. 'Usually I have very little trouble getting what I want. That's precisely why I find you so interesting, Renata-chan. You're delightfully frustrating.'

Rei caught the double entendre in that last sentence, and swallowed when his eyes moved over her face, lingering on her mouth.

'Shall we continue where we left off?' he asked.

Rei ignored the heat which was now radiating from her entire body. 'No, I think not,' she replied tartly.

'Oh?' Sousuke raised an eyebrow. 'Have I displeased you in some way, my queen? Could it be that you no longer find me appealing?'

Rei snorted. 'I don't think that's even possible.' She saw his eyes alight at that.

'Then you _do _wish to continue,' Sousuke replied, smiling again. 'Don't feel the need to ignore your desires, Renata-chan. I never have.'

With that, he leaned forward, taking her mouth with his own. Rei couldn't help but to respond to the kiss, her hands moving almost of their own accord to the back of his neck.

She felt Sousuke pull away momentarily. 'Tell me, Renata-chan,' he said, that huskiness back in his voice, 'what _was _your reason for denying me just now?'

Rei had to fight to regain conscious thought. 'I quite honestly have no idea,' she said.

'Oh, come now. I can keep no secrets from you, I know that already. Surely you'd do me the courtesy of letting me in on your secret, such that it is.' Aizen leaned in, kissing along her cheek, and Rei almost forgot herself completely in the scent of his hair.

'Liar,' she whispered, 'of course you're keeping secrets from me.' It came to her then. 'What about your Zanpakutou?'

'Mmm…what about my Kyouka Suigetsu?' Aizen was kissing just below her ear, slowly moving his lips up. 'I'm at a loss as to why you feel the need to constantly compare your appearance to that of Orihime,' he murmured. 'You're really quite lovely.' Rei felt him kissing the shell of her ear, moving down to catch her earlobe in his teeth. She was caught between skin-crawling pleasure and premonition, feeling as if he were going to bite it off.

'You're lying again,' she said. 'I can tell. And don't try to change the subject. I want to know what Kyouka Suigetsu does.'

'That's rather a personal question, I'm afraid, Renata-chan.' Sousuke laughed into her neck. 'After all, I didn't even tell my own former lieutenant about Kyouka Suigetsu's power, and she served loyally by my side for years.'

'Did you try and talk her into bed too?' Rei asked boldly.

'I wouldn't have needed to.' Sousuke's hands caught her around the waist, effortlessly strong, flipping her onto her back. 'I already told you, Renata-chan. She would have done anything I asked her to do.'

'Tell me,' she insisted, even when he started kissing down the line of her throat. 'I want to know.'

'Well, that very much depends. You must know by now that one doesn't get something for nothing in Las Noches, Renata-chan. What would you be willing to offer me in return?' Aizen leaned half over her, the curl of hair almost touching the tip of Rei's nose.

'What about my reason for saying no just before?' she bargained, half-afraid and half-wanting what he was heading towards. 'You had it partly right. I was embarrassed. I made an idiot of myself. I didn't want to do it again.'

'You didn't? That's a pity. You made quite the charming little seme.' Rei blushed at that, more so when Sousuke moved himself on top of her. His lips were suddenly against hers, tongue slipping into her mouth again. Rei tried to breathe but couldn't, her heart fluttering. She gasped when he finally relinquished control.

'And what was the other part that I didn't get right?' he inquired.

'I'll tell you when you tell me what Kyouka Suigetsu does.' Rei met his gaze with a challenging stare of her own. He made a noise of amusement, lifting himself up to sit chastely next to her again. Rei sat up too, knowing she was red in the face.

'Very well, Renata-chan.' Sousuke sighed. 'Although I suppose you did give me part of an answer. You deserve something in return. Shall I provide you with a clue as to the nature of Kyouka Suigetsu's abilities?' His eyes flashed seductively, luring her in.

Rei swallowed. 'Okay.' Her voice was almost a squeak.

'Your hint,' Aizen said, smiling as if at some private joke, 'is Ichimaru Gin.'

Rei blinked, determined not to show him her confusion. 'It's hardly likely that he'll tell me what it does,' she commented.

Aizen acknowledged that. 'Yes. But nevertheless, Gin is your clue. Watch him. Observe him very closely.' That aloof smile remained on his face. 'Perhaps, you will be able to tell _me _what Kyouka Suigetsu's ability is.'

Rei folded her arms, privately thinking it very unlikely. _This is some kind of setup, _she thought to herself. _I know it is. I just can't figure out what he's doing. _

Once that would have alarmed her, but now Rei just took it in her stride. It was clear that Sousuke was planning something.

Well, she would plan something too.

* * *

Rei's really turned into a sneaky bitch. I know exactly what Aizen's up to, but I'm not so sure about her…Although Aizen was pretty sneaky too in this chapter, with his whole 'You _know _you want me' routine. Heh, I can totally see him doing the Old Spice commercial. "Ladies…look at your man. Now back to me. Now look at your man. Now back to me."

Seriously, though? Rei and her blood poison? And Szayel and Grimmjow - what the hell are _they _doing? And where does Harribel fit into all this? And what about when Ichigo and Co. arrive on the scene?

'Your hint is Ichimaru Gin'….O_O If there are any innocent people still reading this story, they might want to consider leaving. There's going to be some NSFW stuff coming up soon.

I'd better watch what I'm doing or _I'll _end up getting tricked by Aizen's plan…or Amane's.


	44. Deus Ex Machina

Exams are finally sort of almost over! Just Honours Chemistry (only a 1 hour exam - and only 9 lectures to revise) to go. Then imma getting me and my family some pizza. Even if I have to pay for the awesome pizza place of awesome, we are getting some fucking pizza. I fully intend to celebrate the end of my first year at ANU.

Oh, and:

ISSHIN FUCK YES.

Need to keep letting that out, for some reason.

Of course he isn't as awesome as Aizen - no one is - but Isshin's entrance was just so epic. He headbutted Ichigo. I have absolutely no problems with this. I'm not really the biggest Ichigo fan. He keeps beating the s**t out of characters I like, who SHOULD be able to beat him. (see Kenpachi, Byakuya, Grimmjow, AIZEN…so not looking forward to seeing that fight in the anime.)

Dear Ichigo: Move, bitch, get out the way. Let Aizen be the main character of Bleach. Or, failing that, make way for Isshin.

ISSHIN FUCK YES.

Or Urahara, or Unohana, or Rangiku, or Kyouraku, or Zombie Grimmjow.

I would be extremely happy if any of the above replaced Ichigo as the main character.

Poor Grimmjow. I feel so, so sorry for him in this story. His love is pure and everything…but he just can't compete with Aizen. And he has no idea that his sweet, innocent little Rei has turned into a female version of the guy he hates.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 44

Deus Ex Machina

_

* * *

I wanted to see your innocent figure_

_That looked as if it were about to wilt,_

_One more time;_

_I want to become your strength. _

_Even if there comes a time_

_When the whole world becomes our enemy_

_I'll protect you. _

**-Ichirin No Hana, High and Mighty Color (English Translation)**

And he'd thought this was going to be difficult.

It seemed like even Amane herself didn't entirely trust Aizen. Well, that hadn't really come as a surprise. Grimmjow had known from the start that the woman was smarter than she looked.

_You deserve to be more than another addition to Aizen's list of suckers, _he thought.

It looked like she was going to be safe after all.

Grimmjow hadn't believed Szayel at first when the Octava had told him. It wasn't as if Aporro's personality had changed when he'd agreed to help separate Aizen and Amane. Grimmjow knew the story of Tia Harribel - and God knew Szayel's motives for helping him were understandable.

But the Octava had always creeped him out more than a little, and Grimmjow had initially thought Szayel was, to put it bluntly, fucking with his head.

'What, she asked you to?' Grimmjow had glared at the pink-haired Arrancar. 'As if she would. She thinks she loves him.'

'No, I assure you, it's the truth.' Szayel had looked down at Grimmjow through his glasses. 'As hard as it may be for you to believe, Amane-sama has asked me to implant surveillance in Lord Aizen's rooms.'

'And how are you going to get away with it?' Grimmjow had folded his arms. 'If I know you, Aporro, you've been trying for years to spy on the bastard without him realising. What's changed that means you can stick a camera in his room unnoticed?'

'Oh, Amane-sama's been most accommodating. She and Aizen-sama will be leaving Las Noches tomorrow. That will give me the opportunity I need.'

Grimmjow had screwed up his nose at that. 'Asshole,' he muttered, and for once he wasn't referring to Szayel. 'She's gonna see some shit she really doesn't want to see,' he'd finished.

Szayel had nodded. 'Precisely. After all, that's what we want, isn't it, Grimmjow-san?'

Nevertheless -

As much as Grimmjow was loath to look a gift horse in the mouth, it all seemed incredibly easy. A little too easy, perhaps.

Amane was smart, he knew that. Szayel had said something about her being a genius in the human world. It was natural that she'd mistrust Aizen. But why now?

She'd been sitting on that throne next to him happily enough until now. Something didn't add up.

'Grimmjow-san?'

Grimmjow started, looking at the human. She was heading in his direction, a pleased smile on her lips.

'I haven't seen you around in a while,' she said.

Grimmjow looked away from her. He couldn't bear it. Seeing Amane there, dressed like Aizen, her hair no longer loose but back from her face like Aizen's - she even had a strand hanging in her face like Aizen did, but hers was more of a short messy wisp.

'I wanted to thank you,' she continued, and Grimmjow looked back at her at that. 'You've been very kind to me while I've been in Las Noches.'

'I was ordered to.' Grimmjow couldn't think of anything better to say, and wanted to hit something. 'You know. Aizen.'

Amane nodded. 'I guess so. But I meant - well, everyone has to be nice to me now, don't they? Now that I'm up there next to Aizen-sama.'

Grimmjow watched her face carefully. 'Yeah,' he said. He supposed, in a sense, that he understood what she meant. Certainly, if he had a choice, there was no way in hell he'd be kneeling down to Aizen Sousuke. But he didn't, and neither did anyone else in Las Noches. And now the same logic applied to Amane Rei.

'But you were kind to me when I wasn't sitting on a throne,' she went on. 'I wanted to tell you something else too.'

'What?'

'I know it was Aizen-sama who punished you for going to my world without permission.' Her eyes were wide and clear. 'Tousen-san was the one who cut off your arm, but Aizen-sama could have stopped it. He told me so.'

'I'm surprised.' Grimmjow hadn't meant to say that out loud. 'He's not usually the forthcoming type.'

Amane either didn't hear that sentence or deigned to ignore it. 'What I mean to say is, it won't happen again,' she said. 'You tried to help me when it looked like Aizen-sama preferred Orihime to me. There was nothing in it for you.'

Grimmjow tried to lighten the mood of the conversation. 'Someone's got to protect you, dumbass,' he said. 'It's not like you can do it yourself.'

Amane's eyes narrowed momentarily at that, but the change in expression disappeared as soon as it came. 'You've been a good friend to me, Grimmjow,' she told him. 'You could have gotten yourself in trouble, trying to help me. But you were loyal.'

Grimmjow wasn't sure where the conversation was going. 'I guess,' he replied warily. 'If that's what you want to call it.'

'You're not like the other Espada, Grimmjow. You're my friend, not my subordinate. So -' Amane bit her lip. 'I just wanted to let you know that no matter what you do from now on, I won't let you be punished.' It came out from her in a rush. 'It's the least I can do.'

'You don't have to feel like you owe me or anything like that,' Grimmjow said awkwardly.

'But I do, Grimmjow-san.' Amane gazed up at him earnestly. 'If there's ever anything I can do for you, tell me.'

'Actually, there is something.' _What the hell, _Grimmjow thought to himself. _Aporro would probably say I'm being stupid. But I'll only kick myself about it later if I don't ask. _

'What is it?'

Grimmjow stared at her. 'Run away from Aizen,' he said.

Part of him couldn't quite believe he'd actually dared to say it. Grimmjow looked up at the ceiling of the corridor. Aizen probably had cameras here, like he did everywhere. And if that was the case - which was most likely - then Grimmjow Jaggerjack, the only recently restored Sexta Espada, had just openly challenged his master.

_To hell with that, _he thought in contempt. _Fuck Aizen. I don't kneel to him any more. _

_No, you kneel to a human, _another part of him, the more Hollowlike part, sneered. _Your heart belongs to your food. _

It was true. He served the queen of Hueco Mundo, not the king.

Grimmjow decided to continue. _Why not?_ he thought. _I've already fucked myself over. I might as well do it properly. _

'Look, Aizen's taking you seriously,' he continued. 'It's not like with that Orihime woman. When she talks, all he hears is background noise. He's actually listening to what you say - or pretending to.' Grimmjow paused. 'If you tell him you want to leave Las Noches, he'll let you go. Because I can tell you something for nothing. If you stay here, he'll end up killing you, one way or another. Ever wonder why he's king of the Hollows?' His voice turned bitter. 'Because we already died once.'

Amane was silent, looking at him thoughtfully.

'Do yourself a favour. Get out of here, go back to the human world. Leave before he stops thinking of you as a shiny new toy and starts thinking of you as fresh meat.' Grimmjow folded his arms across his chest.

'I'm very sorry. I can't do that.'

It was the reply he'd been expecting, but it still gave Grimmjow a shock to hear it.

To his surprise, Amane was looking down again. He thought she'd outgrown that habit. She was biting her lip, and her voice wobbled as she spoke. 'I can't leave Aizen-sama. I know you understand.'

Grimmjow understood all too well.

His fingers went, automatically, to Pantera's hilt, and Grimmjow had to restrain himself before he drew his Zanpakutou. _He's cowed her into submission, _he thought angrily. _What's he threatened her with, if she tries to leave him?_

'I'm sorry, Grimmjow. I have to go now. Aizen-sama - is expecting me.'

Grimmjow flinched at the mention of the Shinigami's name. Amane turned, half-walking, half-running away from him.

The objectives of his mission had changed now.

He was going to take Amane away from Aizen, but that wasn't the only thing Grimmjow had sworn himself to do now.

He was going to beat Kurosaki Ichigo to it. He was going to fight Aizen, and kill the bastard, even if he died trying.

* * *

Poor, poor Grimmjow. I am putting him through so much…

And _damn _you're a good liar, Rei. Or maybe Grimmjow-san's just blinded by his love for you…Oh, well. I guess she learnt from the best.

Aizen: Yes. Indeed she did.


	45. Return

Featuring: the return of Aizen's Gigai. (I mean, come on. What fangirl wouldn't kill to get her hands on that?)

This chapter is dedicated to something I've lived my whole life seeing in other people. I'm sure it's not just me and Aizen and Rei that have one person in their life that is their _anti-_role model, so to speak. If you've ever looked at every single aspect of somebody, and thought, _I will never, ever be like them, in any possible way, _then you'll know what I'm talking about.

This chapter is also dedicated to my own personal belief that suits are effing hot. The vast majority of people look sexy in suits. And Aizen in a suit - sexiness x 1000. Yeah, Aizen's got a bit of a thing for suits. As we'll see in this chapter.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 45

Return

_

* * *

You're such an inspiration_

_For the ways that I will never ever_

_Choose to be;_

_Oh, so many ways_

_For me to show you_

_How your saviour has abandoned you. _

**-Judith, A Perfect Circle**

Aizen looked at Renata sideways as the two of them exited the Garganta.

He had to admit, he was curious. In the past, his taste had tended towards women with Inoue Orihime's body type. He was well versed in Orihime's particular brand of beauty. He'd had more than enough opportunity to sample it at will, and that was exactly what he'd done on his visits to the human world. As a Shinigami and prominent member of the Gotei 13, he'd been unwilling to make a reputation for himself as a philanderer.

He'd been the focus of many a young Shinigami's attention when he'd been a teacher, and not because of any particular fascination his students had shared for his subject matter. Aizen had noticed the eyes of countless pretty young female Shinigami - and just as many equally pretty young men - lingering over his face and body during his time as a captain. And it wasn't as if he could fault them for it.

Aizen knew the power of his appearance, and had taken full advantage of it. He had used it as a weapon almost, subtler than his Kyouka Suigetsu, evoking longing and desire and lust from anyone he turned it on. It was, in truth, one of the reasons why so few men caught his own eye.

Aizen liked his sexual partners to reflect his own physical beauty, to come close to equalling it but never quite get there. It was rare that a man managed that particular feat. One notable exception had been Kuchiki Byakuya, who had rivalled Aizen himself in terms of looks. Aizen had always looked at the cold-hearted head of the Kuchiki family with more than a little desire, wondering if Byakuya would be as frigid as his exterior in bed.

And now he found himself thinking similar thoughts about Amane Renata.

He had told her they were going to be spending the next two days in the human world in Gigais. Aizen had entrusted Szayel with the creation of Amane's Gigai. The Arrancar scientist had, after all, seen the original in far more detail than Aizen himself.

He smiled, recalling the scent of blood lingering metallic in his mouth, the opened corpse on the dissection table, the light of the halogen lamp in the laboratory glistening wetly over the coils and fragile tissues of Renata's reversed organs. Perhaps he would tell her that story. She would find it amusing, no doubt.

Szayel had done an exquisite job. If Aizen hadn't known better, he could have sworn that the Octava Espada had made her more appealing on purpose.

Renata was dressed in human clothing, a suit like his own. The only difference was the skirt she was wearing underneath it, and the fact that the cut of her suit subtly flattered the slight adolescent curves of her body. The length of the skirt in particular pleased him. It finished just above her knees, revealing long, slender, elegantly shaped legs.

She met his gaze, and smiled mischievously. 'What's so interesting?' she asked.

Aizen smiled back, equally mischievous. 'I was merely admiring your Gigai, my dear.'

Renata's cheeks coloured ever so slightly at that. Aizen remembered that she was a sixteen-year-old human girl, and a virgin at that. The smile stayed on his face. _Such delightful innocence, _he thought to himself. That particular personality trait was so much at odds with the rest of her.

'Where are we, exactly?' she asked, looking around the room. 'I seem to recall you didn't want to tell me before we left Hueco Mundo.'

'You are a businessman's daughter, are you not, Renata-chan?' Aizen poised the question rhetorically. 'It should be obvious to you that we are currently standing in an executive's office.'

Renata looked around her, wry amusement sharp in her eyes. Her gaze alighted on the spacious desk behind her, the lush carpet under her shoes. 'Of course it is,' she said. 'My father had an office almost exactly like this one.' Her line of vision trailed across to the glass at the other side of the room, the window which took up almost the entirety of one wall. 'Although his office had a different view,' she mused. 'We're not in Karakura Town.'

'Correct. We are currently in Tokyo.' Aizen leaned back against the desk, waiting for her reply.

'I assume this is _your _office.' Renata's eyes met his, as sharp as ever. 'Mainly because I think it'd be more than a little uncharacteristic of you to open a Garganta in someone else's workplace.'

'That would be rather rude of me,' Aizen agreed. 'Yes, this is my office. In fact, I own this entire building. Does it come as a surprise to you that I have a wealthy alias in the human world?'

Renata half-smiled. 'Hardly.' She walked over to the window, looking out at the cityscape beyond. 'I've only been to Tokyo once,' she reminisced. 'I was a little girl. My parents never let me out of the hotel room.'

'That was an interesting observation you made before, Renata-chan,' Aizen commented, straightening. He moved behind the desk, lowering himself into the ample chair.

'And what was that?' Renata turned and walked towards him. 'I can't remember.'

'You said that this was similar to your father's office.' Aizen reclined in the chair, unfastening the collar of his shirt. 'Indeed, I modelled this room on Amane Daisuke's office. I was there with him a number of times, discussing business. Does the name Namikawa mean anything to you?'

Recognition surfaced in Renata's eyes. 'Yes. The primary profit from my father's company came from pharmaceuticals manufacture.' She looked at Aizen. 'And his main competitor was Namikawa Sousuke. Namikawa was head of a company funding research into surgical techniques, particularly gamma ray surgery. Namikawa was trying to buy out my father.'

'It's a small world, isn't it, Renata-chan?' Aizen opened a cabinet next to the desk, taking out a bottle of wine and two glasses. He poured some into one for Renata, passing it to her. She accepted with a smile, perching herself on his desk.

'You really have corrupted me, Sousuke-san,' she remarked. 'First I murder two of your subordinates, and then you have me drinking underage.'

'It really depends on what you view as corruption.' Aizen took a sip of his own wine, watching Renata do the same.

'You're right,' she replied. 'I was always that way. I always thought the majority of laws were pointless and stupid. So I suppose you haven't really corrupted me. I just feel like I can be myself around you.'

'That's a disappointment.' Aizen placed his glass down.

Renata frowned. 'How so?'

'Well, Renata-chan, I would have thought that was obvious.' Aizen felt a drop of wine lingering on his lower lip. He darted his tongue out, licking it away in one smooth motion. The thought of how it would look to her, the ruby drop of liquid at the corner of his mouth, redder than blood and then tasted and devoured, sent heat straight through his body.

'I've completely failed to corrupt you,' he said, leaning forward in his chair.

Renata met his stare. 'I'm sure you could if you really tried.' Her voice wavered a little. But Aizen saw her eyes, and recognised the look there. She desired him, as many had before her.

'Is that so?' Aizen moved a hand to the throat of the white shirt he was wearing underneath the jacket of the suit, deftly undoing the second button with a finger and thumb. Her eyes went down to his throat, and her pupils widened. 'Since I've already permitted you to taste alcohol, it would be a shame to stop there. Shall we indulge in a little further corruption, Renata-chan?'

She bit her lip, and Aizen saw her innocence again. He thought for a moment she was going to refuse him. Then she raised her head, just a little, her voice lowered. 'What - do you want me to do?'

Aizen smiled, remembering how much he enjoyed this game. 'You look far too formal, Renata-chan, sitting so far away from me. Come closer.'

Renata obeyed, shuffling awkwardly across the smooth surface of the wooden desk. 'Now, Renata-chan, that won't do,' Aizen said, reprovingly. 'You're still holding yourself apart from me. Can't you see that keeping yourself cold and distant displeases me?' His voice changed tone, from polite and flirtatious to subversive and commanding. 'Lay down in front of me, my dear.'

Renata flushed. She was clearly nervous, but did as he asked anyway. Her body was prone in front of him, the skirt riding up a little over her legs as she twisted into a more comfortable position. Her arms were awkwardly thrown out either side of her, her back curving a little forward. Aizen ran his eyes down the buttons of her shirt, noticing how they tightened over her small breasts. She was no Inoue Orihime, that was certain. But Renata's body pleased him just as well.

Aizen stood, looking down at her, fully clothed and deliciously vulnerable. He moved down over her, capturing her mouth, entering it with his tongue. He encountered the lingering taste of wine, and felt himself harden.

'You're not being very accommodating, Renata-chan,' he said, his voice low. 'Would you part your legs for me?'

Obediently, Renata did so. Aizen lowered his own body down on top of hers, taking particular note of the way her eyes unfocused slightly at the sensation of his weight on her.

Small hungry fingers reached for the buttons of his shirt, and Aizen permitted her that small luxury until she reached the fifth button down. He stopped her there, and she complied.

'Now, now, Renata-chan,' he reprimanded her. 'I clearly remember teaching you this lesson. You don't get something for nothing.'

Renata's eyes widened in embarrassment. 'I'm sorry, Sousuke-san,' she murmured.

'Don't be.' Aizen positioned his hips so that they were placed squarely against hers, holding himself up on his hands. 'You're acknowledging your desires. That is something I have encouraged in you before. And besides -' He smiled down at her, feeling her squirm against him. 'It is no sin to desire a god.'

'What - should I do?' The words came out of her mouth, lips flushed and swollen from his kiss earlier.

'Your technique was correct,' he informed her, 'but misguided. Unbutton your shirt until I tell you to stop, Renata-chan.'

She hesitated a little at that, but obeyed eventually. Her fingers tentatively moved down her shirt, unfastening first one button and then another. Aizen stopped her when she reached the fourth.

She was looking away from him, her cheeks burning, obviously self-conscious. 'I'm not beautiful,' she whispered.

_She needn't have worried about that, _Aizen thought to himself. 'On the contrary, Renata-chan,' he murmured, lowering his mouth to her neck. 'I can assure you that you look good enough to eat.'

Aizen kissed her throat, moving further down to the erratic beat of her pulse. He kissed that spot repeatedly, as if to calm it, resisting the urge to bite down through the fragile skin. She wasn't ready for that particular fetish yet. Instead, he moved to the slight swell of her breast, the skin there just as soft and white. He let his teeth just touch her skin, occasionally tracing a spiral with his tongue and feeling her shiver and gasp.

'Sousuke -'

Aizen stopped. 'What is it, Renata-chan?' He could hear the lust in his own voice, thick and heavy. 'Am I failing to please you? Would you like me to stop, perhaps?'

'N - no.'

Aizen lowered his head down again, this time steadying her thighs with his hands. Her legs were shaking, her breaths unsteady. _Arousal, _Aizen thought to himself, amused and gratified in equal measure.

He grazed the creamy lace of her undergarment with his lips, kissing her breast again. He was growing impatient himself, but he could feel her body tensing up.

'You're not ready for me yet, are you, my dear?' Aizen murmured into her collarbone. He felt Renata nod.

Aizen lifted himself away from her. She looked embarrassed, ashamed even, a far cry from the look of bright intelligence that had been on her face just moments before.

It was understandable, he knew. From what Szayel had told him, Aizen guessed that this girl had spent her whole life resenting her body, being its prisoner. It would take a while for her to become accustomed to physical pleasure, even if Aizen was the one delivering it.

But there was some other reason there as well. Before, Renata had been holding herself aloof from him because she didn't trust him. What was her motive now? She knew his true nature now, and he knew hers. Aizen could tell it was something more complicated than simple virginal fear.

Renata buttoned up her shirt. 'I'm sorry,' she muttered.

'Don't apologize, Renata-chan. You sit on heaven's throne with me, after all. Ones such as us never need to offer remorse.'

She relaxed a little at that. 'Is that part of why you betrayed Soul Society?' she asked, changing the subject. 'Because you were sick of being held accountable to their morality?'

'Partly.' Aizen left it there. That was one secret he intended to keep from Renata permanently. No one knew his deepest personal reason for abandoning the Shinigami, not even Gin. That was how it would stay. 'Did Orihime tell you I attempted to arrange my former captain's execution?' He paused. 'Oh, that's right. Forgive me, Renata-chan. Orihime doesn't know about that. I hardly think anyone on her side would have bothered to tell her if they knew.'

Renata's eyes widened at that. 'Your captain? You - were somebody's subordinate?'

'It's hard to believe, isn't it? Even as a child I knew I wished to answer to no one but myself.' Aizen saw her nod in understanding at that. 'And I always found my captain rather irritating.'

'How so?' Renata's face lit up with curiosity.

Aizen allowed himself, for a moment, to remember Hirako Shinji. 'In all honesty?'

Renata snorted. 'Aizen Sousuke is talking to me about honesty,' she remarked. 'Clearly this is a sign that all is not right with the world.'

Aizen ignored that. 'Everything about him irked me. The reason I chose to be his subordinate was that he, like you, could see me for what I truly was.'

She frowned. 'Then why follow him? Why not choose someone else's division, someone who trusted you?'

Aizen allowed himself to smile. 'I needed someone who was wary of me, Renata-chan. I needed someone who wouldn't try to get to know me or grow close to me. Hirako Shinji allowed me to proceed with my Hollowfication research unhindered, because he never suspected that I had replaced myself with a decoy.'

'How did you do that?' Renata asked. 'With a Kidou? I never found an illusion spell in the book you gave me.'

'The Kidou I used was not covered by the scope of that book,' Aizen lied smoothly. 'Many of the Kidou above level ninety were classed as "forbidden" by the Soul Society.'

If Renata had noticed his falsehood, she wasn't letting on. She was still sitting on the edge of the desk, head tilted, waiting for the rest of Hirako Shinji's story.

Aizen told her how the man had always seemed to feel the need to drill it into Aizen that Hirako was his superior, as if Aizen himself were a slow and stupid child. Hirako had been the one to behave like a child, not Aizen. Quite simply, Aizen had despised his captain, although he had recognised the necessity of joining the Fifth Division to serve under him. He told Renata about the development of the Hollowfication virus and framing Captain Urahara Kisuke for its creation, resulting in the ruling from the Central 46 which had ordered the execution of Hirako and his friends as well as the punishment of Urahara.

'You really did hate him, didn't you?' Renata said wonderingly, when he'd finished. 'I can tell. When you told me about pushing him down and taking his place as the Fifth Division Captain, you looked like how I felt when Grimmjow killed Luppi.'

Aizen acknowledged her observation. 'I loathed everything about Hirako Shinji,' he said. 'I never even considered him attractive enough to bother taking to bed.'

'_That's _interesting.' Renata's eyes shifted, her lips curving up into a smile. 'Although I can't say it surprises me.'

'Really? And why is that so, Renata-chan?'

'You don't allow yourself to be limited in any other aspect. Why would you choose to limit your sexuality?'

Aizen nodded, letting her know that her reasoning was correct.

'On another note, Renata-chan -' Aizen paused delicately, resisting the temptation to smile. 'I would like to ask you two questions. The first is an inquiry into the progress of the task I gave you. How are you getting along with the blood sample?'

'I found the compound you told me to look for, Sousuke-san.' Renata brushed a strand of hair out of her face. 'And I synthesised the poison designed to bind to it and activate during the compound's biological release. I think I understand what the compound is now, after you told me about the Hougyoku and Hollowfication.'

'Correct.' Aizen looked at her appraisingly. 'It is an enzyme released during a Shinigami's transformation into his or her Hollowfication-augmented form.'

'And I can guess why you asked me to synthesise it, and not Szayel-san.' Her eyes were piercing and bright. 'The blood sample has to be from you, Tousen-san or Ichimaru-sama. And all of you are Szayel-san's superiors. Which of you is it? I know already that you don't have a Hollowfication. And even if you did, you'd hardly be likely to poison yourself.'

'Indeed. I can also tell you that Ichimaru-sama does not have a Hollowfication.' Aizen waited for her to make the next logical conclusion.

'Tousen Kaname,' she mused. 'I suppose it makes a certain kind of sense.' He knew she was referring to the manner in which he'd manipulated Tousen to cut off Grimmjow's arm.

'Are you going to be using it on Kurosaki Ichigo?' she asked. 'I know you told me _he _has a Hollowfication.'

'Would that please you, my queen?' Aizen pulled her into his body again, resting his chin on top of her head. 'Orihime has developed rather a strong attachment to that boy.'

'You're making fun of me.' Renata sounded dismissive. 'You said you're using Orihime to lure them to Las Noches, and they're going to be luring captains from the Gotei 13 here. I only asked as a joke.'

'I know that, Renata-chan. And I would never make fun of you.' Pausing again, Aizen looked down at her. This time, he really did need to force himself not to smile. 'My second question concerns Ichimaru.' He thought of Szayel and Grimmjow. It hadn't been hard to figure out they'd been plotting something against him. Aizen knew they would try to discredit him in Renata's eyes, and he had a fair idea of who they were going to use in order to do it.

It was more than a little unfortunate for them that Aizen was going to use that same person - along with the cameras Szayel was probably planting in his room right now - as a means of seduction.

'I've been watching him.' Renata bit her lip. 'I've been spending time with him. He's been teaching me about Las Noches and Hueco Mundo, and even about the Soul Society.'

'And have you been enjoying his company?' asked Aizen, leading her on.

'I like him. He's funny. He makes me laugh. But I -' Renata stopped, obviously unwilling to admit it. 'I don't understand,' she said accusingly. 'How am I supposed to figure out anything about Kyouka Suigetsu from Ichimaru-sama?'

'If you're as sharp as I give you credit for, Renata-chan, you'll see eventually.' Admittedly, Aizen would be giving her more than a little help in the matter. But that was as much for the enjoyment of thwarting Szayel and Grimmjow as anything else.

'Now, I will have to send you away for a while, Renata-chan. I do have business to attend to as Namikawa-san,' he told her. 'In your suit pocket, you will find a credit card. Please use it to buy yourself something suitable for attending the theatre.'

Renata stood up. 'What are we seeing?' she asked.

'You are a singer, Renata-chan. Surely you must be familiar with _The Phantom of the Opera._' Aizen smiled at the excited look on her face, and kissed her lightly on the forehead. 'If you introduce yourself to anyone on the level below as my niece, Namikawa Fumiko, they will be happy to escort you out.'

Renata left the room, and Aizen settled back in his chair, smiling to himself.

* * *

Rei, I am INCREDIBLY jealous of you. You get to see _Phantom of the Opera _with AIZEN-SAMA! Not to mention the hot make-outs on Aizen-sama's desk. O_O

Yes, Aizen is evil and hot, and also incredibly rich. And he has a piano. And he is taking Rei to _Phantom. _SQUEE. Can he get any more perfect? No, I don't think he can.


	46. The Phantom

First of all I'd like to start off with another announcement.

This story has reached a length of:

*DRUMROLL PLZ*

Over 100,000 words. Way, way more than over 9,000. Holy shit. I never knew this many words could come out of little old me. Thank you to everyone who likes this story for bringing me so far!

Plus I also watched Bleach 297. The omake segment is freakin' awesome. It's Gin and his Arrancar Encyclopaedia and an umbrella. I won't say any more in case there's anyone reading this who hasn't watched it yet. Apart from that, I spent most of the episode perving on Aizen - or, more specifically, Aizen-sama's exposed chest. (Stop being so sexy, Aizen.) Damn cliffhangers. I want to see him transform. TRANSFORM, DAMMIT! *rages* Although gotta say I loved his closing statement: "It has the power to destroy the wall that separates those who are gods from those who aren't." The Hougyoku is officially Aizen's bitch, as is Isshin.

Oh, Aizen-sama…how we adore your arrogance. Well, at least I do.

In this chapter - Rei trolls Ichigo's existence. Aww, AizenxAmane = Troll Love.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 46

The Phantom

_

* * *

Sing once again with me_

_Our strange duet;_

_My power over you_

_Grows stronger yet._

…

_In all your fantasies_

_You always knew_

_That man and mystery_

_Were both in you;_

_And in this labyrinth_

_Where night is blind,_

_The phantom of the opera is here_

_Inside your mind. _

**-The Phantom of the Opera, Andrew Lloyd Webber**

It wasn't as if Rei were unaccustomed to the trappings of wealth. She was the daughter of one of Japan's most successful businessmen. As a child, she'd had everything she could have possibly desired, save freedom or independence.

It just felt like she'd never seen what it meant to be rich up this close before.

Rei dressed in the hotel room, looking again at the price tag on the dress she'd chosen. She'd never bought anything this expensive for herself before. The closest she'd come was her laptop.

But she was Sousuke's queen now, and as such could have anything she wanted. It didn't even feel extravagant, to spend this much on one night out. It was a night out with Sousuke, and Rei had rather uncharacteristically decided she was going to wear something sexy.

It was quite likely that had been Sousuke's aim all along. Rei remembered looking down along the length of her body and seeing his beautiful head of hair bent over her, that eloquent mouth and tongue of his tracing their way over the tops of her breasts. She shivered - part in delight and part in self-consciousness - at the memory. He had made her feel deliciously hot all over, inciting a tingling sensation deep in her belly.

And that wasn't all. Rei remembered feeling the hardness of his sex pressing at her in the tender spot between her legs, both frightening and thrilling her at the same time. The knowledge that she, and not Inoue Orihime, had made Aizen Sousuke aroused had made Rei feel powerful.

She had had no concept of her own sexuality before him. Rei had quite ardently believed herself to be completely undesirable, but Sousuke had proved her wrong.

She was desired by a god, and it was only right to attire herself fittingly.

The thought of displaying her body, even a little, for Sousuke's benefit made Rei feel powerful again as she dressed. He was manipulating her as well as satisfying his own desires, she knew. He wanted to take his shiny new toy to bed with him, but she couldn't allow that.

Grimmjow had been right, even though she'd only stood there and listened to his spiel to garner his sympathy at the end of it. Aizen Sousuke found her mildly interesting, but at the end of the day Rei was still expendable. He could replace her with someone else if he really wanted to. The fact that he'd told her about his plans - or some of them, anyway - meant nothing. He'd just have to make sure there was no way she'd ever be able to talk, and that would be easy enough for him to do.

She zipped up the dress at the back, looking at herself in the mirror behind her door. The dress was a deep, dark red colour, like the wine she and Sousuke had shared earlier that day. It was tight around all the places where Rei had begun to develop curves. Instead of mentally comparing her body to Inoue Orihime's and finding it wanting, as she usually did, Rei looked at her reflection and saw it as Sousuke might see it.

Rei had more than once considered what it would be like to simply be a brain in a jar. Her body had always been a stranger to her, even an enemy. She had understood why it caused her pain and occasionally crippled her, but only in biological terms. Rei had never been able to relate to her body, or to understand its wants.

But now she knew exactly what her body wanted, and it wanted Aizen Sousuke. What was more, she was in a position where she could give her body exactly what it desired. All it would cost her was her heart.

It was dreadful in its predictability. Rei knew what would happen. She would sleep with him, and he would eventually grow bored with her, and the shiny new toy would be thrown away.

She made herself a promise then, a compromise of sorts. _He's irreplaceable to me, _Rei told herself. _I'll never love anyone else, because there's no one else in the world like him. I'll give my body to him, but only when I'm also irreplaceable to him. I don't know how that'll happen, or even if it _will _happen, but I'll know when it does. _

She pulled back her hair, making it behave as far as she was able to, and stepped out to face him.

Much to her surprise, Sousuke wasn't there. Then Rei heard the sound of running water from the next room and realised he was showering. _Oh God, _she thought. _He's only metres away from me and he's wet and naked. _

Blood flooded into her face at an alarming rate. Even more than that Rei tried to ignore the voice in the back of her head, a recent arrival who seemed to like dangling her body's desires in front of her nose.

_You know you want to look, _it taunted.

But Rei knew exactly what she would see if she did. Sousuke would know she was looking at him. Of course he would. She could see it in her mind's eye, the arrogant smile forming on his perfect lips, water dripping off the curl of hair hanging between his eyes and trickling in a rivulet down his equally perfect body. For some reason her imagination fixed on his navel and the lines of his hipbones before moving further down -

'Don't picture him naked, don't picture him naked,' she muttered under her breath.

The water stopped, and Sousuke's bedroom door opened. His hair was damp. He was dressed more casually than he had been earlier, in a red silk shirt a few shades lighter than her own outfit and a pair of black trousers.

_He's gorgeous, _Rei thought, and then followed it with _There's no way he got out of the shower and got dressed that quickly. _

Had he let the water run on purpose, just on the off chance that she _would _picture him naked?

Rei sighed internally. _Probably, _she thought. It was obvious by now that Sousuke knew she wanted him and was holding herself back. He was trying to melt down her defences, bring her newborn sexual self out of its shell.

And he was doing an alarmingly good job of it.

'You don't seem particularly overjoyed to see me, Renata-chan,' he commented, running a hand through his still-drying hair.

Rei narrowed her eyes at him. 'That's because I know what you're up to,' she accused. 'Stop being so sneaky.'

Sousuke's eyes widened, a picture of innocence. 'I have to confess, I have no idea what you're talking about, my dear. And that's not something I like to admit to anyone.'

Rei snorted. 'Liar.'

He chuckled, moving across the room towards her. 'Besides, if - as you put it - I did stop being sneaky, I don't think you'd like me anywhere near as much.'

'True,' Rei acknowledged.

Sousuke took her into his arms, and Rei resisted the urge to trail her fingers down his chest where his shirt was undone. 'I did mean what I said earlier,' he told her. 'You really are quite lovely.'

He kissed her then, and Rei no longer felt powerful. She felt very small and light, as if there was helium in her veins instead of blood. Just as quickly, he pulled away.

'As appetising as you look in that charming little outfit,' he said, 'we really must leave. It's terribly rude to enter a theatre late, when the show's already begun. Even for ones such as us.'

Rei blushed. She knew her dress wasn't really particularly revealing. The red silk covering her breasts was cut lower than anything she'd worn before, but that wasn't saying much. In her old human clothes, she wouldn't have been too out-of-place in a nunnery.

It was quite short though, the length only reaching the middle of her thigh, and she'd done that on purpose.

_He likes my legs, _she thought to herself with a thrill, remembering how his eyes had lingered below her skirt when they'd first stepped out of the Garganta.

_I was merely admiring your Gigai, my dear. _

Sousuke was pulling on his suit jacket, escorting her out the door. Rei remembered that she was supposed to be his niece. That was funny, in a way. Not only was Sousuke much, much older than her, she was also pretending to be related to him.

There was a limousine parked outside. Sousuke opened the back door for her, smiling like a gentleman, and Rei slid in. Part of her couldn't quite believe this was really happening to her. There was nothing wrong with her heart, and she was with the most beautiful man in the world, and he wanted her and not Orihime.

'Tell me, my dear, what do you think of Kurosaki Ichigo?' he asked her, as soon as the door was closed behind them.

Rei frowned. 'Kurosaki?'

Sousuke raised an eyebrow. 'I did give you the job of keeping watch over him and his friends. You have been doing what I asked of you, haven't you, Renata-chan?'

'Of course. Although,' Rei replied pointedly, 'I _have _been trying to watch Ichimaru-sama as well.'

Sousuke dismissed that. 'I would like your opinion on the boy.'

'In all honesty?' Rei quoted Sousuke's phrase from earlier in the day. 'He irritates me.'

Amused, Sousuke smiled. 'Really? Do tell.'

'He has no concept of subtlety.' Rei tried to articulate it properly. Essentially, Kurosaki Ichigo -

He seemed to embody everything that had ever annoyed her in people her own age.

'He's so _dense,' _she emphasized. 'I watched what happened with this little Arrancar girl.'

'Yes, Neliel Tu Oderschvank - or as she calls herself now, Nel.' Sousuke leaned back against the leather seat. 'I observed that particular piece of footage myself.'

'It's like he feels the need to protect everyone he sees, and it annoys me. She had nothing to do with him. In fact, he would have been better off if he'd just left her behind. She's slowing him down, and yet he's carrying her around with him like he's her babysitter. It's completely illogical.'

'So it's his altruism that annoys you.'

'Everything about him annoys me,' Rei corrected him. 'He's not trying to sneak around, to get to Las Noches as fast as he possibly can. If, for whatever reason, _I _lowered myself to try and rescue _Orihime, _I'd be moving quickly and quietly through the enemy's territory. Kurosaki Ichigo seems to like picking fights for the sake of it. _Zangetsu!_' she mimicked. '_I will protect my friends!_ _I will win this fight through the power of friendship! _He's like - like a male version of Orihime.'

Sousuke laughed at that. 'Oh, Renata-chan. You do know how to amuse me. Although it does disappoint me that my star research subject is so much of an irritation to you.'

'Couldn't you have chosen a less boneheaded research subject?' Renata muttered.

The car stopped, and both she and Sousuke got out. Sousuke's hands lingered on her hips for a little longer than was necessary, and Rei glanced sharply at him as they entered the theatre.

'You arranged for me to be your _niece,_' she pointed out.

He smiled, not without a touch of wickedness, at that. 'Don't be alarmed, Renata-chan. I do intend to keep up that pretence while we're in public.' They sat in one of the boxes near the top of the theatre, and he leaned closer to her in the darkness. 'However, I'm free to behave as I wish - as are you - when we're alone together.'

Rei shivered, and the opera began.

Once she would have been unable to take her attention from the stage, the half-mask on the Phantom's face, the way he subtly appeared to seduce Christine. But now Rei was acutely conscious of Aizen Sousuke next to her, his warmth in the darkness seeming to reach out and touch her own. Although they shared no physical contact, it was as if she could feel his body in the darkness of the theatre.

Rei hardly noticed when the show was over, and it took Sousuke's hand on her bare shoulder to induce her to rise from her seat. When they were back inside the car, she heard him chuckle. 'You seemed very distracted,' he noted, resting a hand on his chin as he regarded her. 'I'd be disappointed if you didn't enjoy the opera, Renata-chan. I certainly did.'

'No,' she said absently. 'It was nice.'

Sousuke's smile widened at that, but he said nothing else.

They returned to the hotel. As she stood with Sousuke in the lift, an idea occurred to Rei.

_What if I do what he's doing? _she thought to herself. _What if I try and seduce him into telling me what Kyouka Suigetsu does?_

She almost laughed out loud. If she tried to use her body to make Sousuke forget himself and let something slip, it was going to backfire on her. She knew that for sure. After that encounter with the Hougyoku, she'd thrown herself at him, and he hadn't even been directing his charm at her. The only one losing control in a game of seduction would be her, most likely.

No, that was no good. She needed to find some other way.

At least she had a clue now.

Rei looked sideways at Sousuke. _The Kidou I used was not covered by the scope of that book. _It had been a lie. She trusted her sixth sense, the one that knew unerringly when Aizen Sousuke was telling her something that wasn't true.

How had he fooled his captain with a decoy, then? It couldn't have been a body double. Surely someone of captain class would have been able to sense the difference in reiatsu, no matter how annoying and obtuse Sousuke had said the man was. That left only one possibility.

He had duped Hirako Shinji using his Zanpakutou.

Rei thought. _Mirror Flower Water Moon, _she remembered. _I suppose it would make sense. Is that what his Zanpakutou does? Does it make illusory copies of things? And how does that relate to Ichimaru?_

The lift reached their level - the penthouse suite - and Sousuke stepped back to let Rei pass. 'After you, my dear,' he said, his voice courteous.

Rei moved through, and Sousuke followed behind her, leaning forward to open the door. She caught his scent, and inhaled deeply. He chuckled, deep in his throat, and sat back on the couch at the other side of the room.

'Hmm,' he observed, running his eyes over her body. 'It seems we're alone again.'

Rei suddenly forgot how to swallow. She gulped at air for a few seconds, then regained control of herself.

'Y - yes,' she stammered.

Sousuke smiled at her, crooking a finger. 'Won't you join me, my dear?' he asked. 'There was something I neglected to tell you before we left for the opera.'

Rei moved forward, feeling as if at any second she was going to stumble forward and fall flat on her face. By some miracle, she made it all the way across the room without doing anything stupid.

'What was it, Sousuke-san?' she asked, sounding surprisingly normal.

'Forgive me, Renata-chan. That was a little misleading. I meant to give you an order, actually.' Sousuke looked up at her.

'But I'm queen of Hueco Mundo,' she said. 'We're equals, aren't we?'

'I would be most grateful if you would allow me this one indulgence.' Rei blushed, seeing him trace his tongue over his own lower lip as he watched her. 'It's quite a simple request, after all.' He paused.

'You must dress like that more often.'

And with that, his hands cupped the backs of Rei's thighs, pulling her down to sit in his lap. Her stockinged legs were either side of his waist again, just as they had been after she'd touched the Hougyoku.

Rei thought about trying to restrain herself. Then she looked down at him, that confident smile on his face, his eyes bright with desire and his silk shirt open at the throat.

She kissed him fiercely, moving her tongue inside his mouth. Sousuke responded by moving his hands up to her hips, pulling her body even closer to his. Rei felt those long-fingered hands moving up her back and unfastening her hair in its knot, so that it fell loosely around her shoulders.

Her mouth came away from his for a moment, and she breathed heavily. Sousuke ran a finger down the bridge of her nose, touching her lips. 'I've taught you well,' he remarked. 'You've grown marvellously skilled at this.' His finger traced the inside of her lip. Rei closed her mouth around it and sucked, moving along his hand. He had beautiful fingers, of course he did. He was Aizen Sousuke. Every part of him was beautiful.

He made an impatient noise when she reached the last of his fingers, and Rei felt that shiver of fear and excitement again. Sousuke took his hand away from her lips, occupying her mouth with his own. His hands busied themselves along her body, one moving to her back to trace circles on the exposed skin of her shoulder, the other cupping her right breast and moving those lovely fingers in just the right way.

Rei gasped into his open mouth. 'Sousuke -' _Oh God, _she thought, not just once but twice, three times. Rei realised she was saying it aloud, and felt a little embarrassed at her own openly pleasured reaction, but only a little.

He laughed huskily, lustfully. 'That I am,' he replied. His thigh moved between her legs, pushing them further apart. Rei slid further against him, an involuntary moan coming from her mouth.

He was aroused again. She could feel it, and she wanted to give into what her body simultaneously longed for and feared.

But she couldn't, because he would throw her away if she did.

Rei pushed herself back from him, distancing herself. He smiled up at her, that arrogant smile. 'Teasing me, are we, Renata-chan? I have to say, no one's had the self-control for _that _before.'

Rei stood up, returning his smile. 'Goodnight, Sousuke-san,' she murmured, hearing the repressed desire in her own voice. She left the room, knowing his eyes were on her and feeling the sensation of power again for it.

* * *

If there is anyone who _didn't _picture Aizen-sama naked while reading this, I will officially consider myself a failure as an author. Lol, I know you all liked that mental image…

And Aizen has, somehow, wormed his way into my NaNo novel. Well, one of my characters has been based off of him appearance-wise. His name is Alexi, and like Aizen-sama, he is an utterly heartless evil bastard. (Only in a slightly different way.) Oh, and his creator's totally fallen in love with him. Oh, and at the time of writing this closing A/N: 17660 words! (In five days. XD)

And I endorse Rei's opinion of Ichigo, because it is also my opinion of Ichigo. Sorry, Ichigo fans, but that's how I feel. Part of the reason I like Aizen so much: he regularly makes Ichigo look like an idiot. One of my favourite moments in Bleach was Ichigo's huge SNEAK ATTACK! *cough* on the back of Aizen's neck. (Getsuga Tenshou fail.) And the Aizen's Finger vs. Ichigo's Bankai moment. (If Aizen ever flipped anyone off, there would be no survivors.)

Summary: PWNED.

Anyway, off to bed now.


	47. The Noose

Just finished a picture of Aizen's third form - just his face, not the butterfly wings. I have to say I think it looks pretty good. My little sister, on the other hand, came up behind me as I was finishing off his hair and asked 'Is that a girl?'

GRRR. RAGE.

Aizen-sama will get you for that, little sis. Just you wait. Also:

NANO NOVEL IS AT 25K

IN SEVEN FUCKING DAYS

I AM AMAZING!

That feels like it should be a haiku, for some weird reason. But nope, wrong number of syllables. Only the last sentence is right. :S

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 47

The Noose

_

* * *

How does it feel when all you're counting on_

_Is scatterbrained?_

_Every wind that you have sailed upon_

_A hurricane;_

_Every summer you have seen was filled with April rain_

_It doesn't get easy, don't you know. _

**-April Rain, Delain**

Grimmjow had watched her carefully. It made his skin crawl, knowing that Amane had been away in the human world with Aizen for two days where he couldn't see her. At least when they were in Las Noches, he knew where Amane was sleeping, and it wasn't in Aizen's bed.

From the look of things, Aizen hadn't done it yet. It nearly killed Grimmjow to add the 'yet' onto the end of that sentence, but he knew it was going to happen eventually if things stayed as they were.

'Not if I can help it,' he muttered under his breath.

Szayel looked up at him, questioning. 'What was that?'

'Nothing.' Grimmjow shook his head, embarrassed.

No. If Aizen had done that to Amane, Grimmjow would have been the first to know about it. _He'd be rubbing it in my face like hell, _he thought bitterly to himself. _If he'd fucked her, there'd be a lot more gloating going on. _

As it was Grimmjow could hardly take it. He saw Aizen's hands lingering on Amane whenever he looked at the two of them. The most infuriating thing about it was that Aizen never touched her anywhere inappropriate, at least not where Grimmjow could see. His hands always stayed at her shoulders or her waist, playing the part of a perfect gentleman. Nevertheless, Grimmjow recognised it as just that - playing a part, while at the same time delivering a subtle reminder.

_She belongs to me, _Grimmjow could hear the bastard whispering in his thoughts. _She is my property, and I have the right to touch her in this insignificant everyday fashion. You do not. _

_Queen of Hueco Mundo? _Grimmjow thought to himself scornfully. _Don't make me laugh. She's as much your puppet as the rest of us. __  
_

'So what'd you want to show me, Aporro?' he asked the Octava, who was even now scrolling through a list of file names on the computer.

'As you know, the cameras have been installed successfully.' Szayel smirked. They were in the reactor room again, Szayel working from a laptop. They could talk freely in here at least, even if they had to pretend they were having some kind of gay relationship. Although "relationship" was the polite word for it.

'I'm having the video files sent directly to my computer system as well as to Amane-sama's.' The scientist adjusted his glasses, looking far too pleased with himself. 'Thus far, nothing of interest has happened on screen.'

Grimmjow rolled his eyes. '_That's _all you brought me down here for? Seriously?'

'Imbecile.' Szayel glared at him. 'I wasn't finished speaking and you know it. As I was saying, nothing particularly out of the ordinary has happened in front of the cameras I have placed inside Aizen-sama's bedroom. This is promising.'

'How?'

Szayel smiled again. 'Because that means Aizen-sama has no idea the cameras are there, of course.'

Grimmjow understood. 'Wow,' he said aloud. 'It's kind of weird, if you know what I mean. Knowing something Aizen doesn't know.'

'Yes. Exhilarating, isn't it?' Szayel turned back to the screen. 'All he's been doing so far is what anyone else would do in the privacy of their room. Sleeping, dressing, undressing -' He grinned at that.

Grimmjow resisted the urge to hit him. 'Fuck, Aporro,' he muttered. 'That's just wrong.'

Szayel shrugged. 'He's an attractive man,' he said. 'You can't deny that.'

Shuddering, Grimmjow turned away. 'I didn't come here to discuss Aizen getting naked on camera,' he spat.

'Unfortunately, he hasn't completely undressed where I can see him. However, you are correct. You didn't come here for that purpose.' Szayel turned in his chair again. 'Grimmjow-san, I think you'll be interested to see this.' He clicked something, opening a file.

Grimmjow leaned forward. 'What the hell?' he growled. 'This isn't Aizen's room.'

'I'm well aware of that.' Szayel pressed a finger to his lips, motioning for Grimmjow to be quiet.

Grimmjow recognised the two white-robed figures at the corner of the screen. Aizen and Ichimaru came into focus as they moved closer. They were obviously discussing something, but Grimmjow couldn't make out what. And he was no lip-reader.

'What -' he began.

'Shut up.'

Ichimaru tilted his head in response to something Aizen had said, responding with a comment of his own. Aizen answered with a half-smile. He leaned forward, whispering something in Ichimaru's ear. Ichimaru's grin widened. 'Ya do like ta tease me, don'tcha, Aizen-taicho?' The words were faint, almost too far away from the camera to be audible.

Aizen gave that manipulative smirk of his, and Grimmjow recognised the flash in the Shinigami's eyes. Confirming his suspicions, Aizen reached forward, the fingertips on one hand just lightly touching the side of Ichimaru's neck. To an uneducated eye, the gesture would look innocuous - rather familiar, perhaps, but nevertheless free of suspicion.

But Grimmjow's eyes weren't uneducated, especially not when it came to these two.

Szayel leaned back in his chair, looking very pleased with himself. 'And so it begins, Grimmjow-san.'

Grimmjow nodded slowly. 'You were right,' he said. 'He's gonna go back to him.' Then he remembered Amane's face after she'd seen Aizen kiss that red-headed woman on the cheek. It had been the only time he'd ever seen her cry. And God knew she had enough reason to cry, here in Las Noches, under the thumb of the devil.

'It's gonna destroy her,' he continued. 'She - loves him.'

Szayel nodded. 'But he doesn't love her, does he?' He shot Grimmjow a sharp look. 'Just remember that, Grimmjow-san. In the long run, a little pain now is going to save her a lot of pain later.' He glanced at the Sexta, giving him a searching look. Grimmjow resisted the urge to look away, instead meeting Szayel's eyes with a glare.

'What?' he demanded.

'There was something else I needed to discuss with you, Grimmjow-san.'

Grimmjow winced internally. He knew what was coming.

'I haven't tried to involve her,' he said heavily. 'I've kept up my end of the bargain.'

'Then what was Harribel-sama saying to you?' Szayel didn't back down. 'I saw you through the cameras.'

Grimmjow shrugged, uncomfortable. 'Nothing much.' The Octava kept staring at him, as if waiting for him to admit something. Grimmjow grew angry then. 'Look, ask her your fuckin' self if you don't believe me,' he snapped. 'She asked me if I was attached to Amane, and I said yes. That was all.'

'You're sure, Grimmjow-san?' Szayel's voice contained a note of warning in it.

'Absolutely,' Grimmjow retorted. 'That's the truth.'

To his relief, Szayel let it go. They were silent for a while, and then Szayel looked at him sideways. 'I can't help but feel you're beginning to have second thoughts, Grimmjow-san,' he said.

Grimmjow couldn't find the words to articulate it, and then he did, although they were short and clumsy. 'I don't wanna make her cry again,' he said, his voice gruff.

Szayel didn't say anything for a while. Instead he turned back to the computer screen. Grimmjow did too, looking at the grainy image. The video had paused at its end once it had finished playing. He could still make out Aizen's fingers, resting gently on the pale skin of Ichimaru's throat, a brand marking the silver-haired Shinigami as his.

Grimmjow pictured Amane standing there instead of Aizen's lieutenant, and his jaw tightened.

'You're right,' he growled. 'Before it goes any further, before she gets in any deeper. Let's do this.'

* * *

Wow. Feels weird to write such a short chapter. Well, relatively short. Although…a lot happens. I pity Szayel and Grimmjow for attempting to f**k with Aizen. It's not too hard to tell that they're going to come off worst.

And Szayel is also bi, as far as I'm concerned. Although, in the words of a friend of mine, "He's pretty freaky. He can probably change genders at will." In which case, he'd be straight…weird. I lol'd when I was writing the line where he tells Grimmjow that he's been using Aizen's bedroom cameras to spy on Aizen naked. It just goes to confirm my theory that everyone in Bleach secretly wants to either do the lovely Lord Aizen, or be him. Or both. In Szayel's case it's definitely both. (He's a scientist who does unethical experiments on unwilling subjects, he wears glasses, and he turns into a butterfly. Methinks he's trying to copy Aizen-sama's look. Sorry, Szayel, epic fail.)


	48. Voyeurism I

Just a warning:

This chapter is kind of, um, suggestive. Don't read it while your parents are in the room. Or while you're at work. Or anywhere where people could walk up behind you and be all like 'Hey, what are you reading?'

And then they realise you're reading a pervy fanfic about an incredibly sexy fictional character, and they shun you. (I know. It's happened to me. I'm just grateful it wasn't anyone I knew well. And it was AiGin smut, no less. :S)

Not that this is smutty. It just contains a lot of innuendo.

The title of this chapter alone should tell you that this fanfic has turned pervy. This is all the fault of the chibi Aizen living inside my head. (He might look cute, but he's a dirty little bastard.) It is totally not my perverted, Aizen-obsessed mind at work here.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 48

Voyeurism (The Watcher)

_

* * *

I see the candlelight burning in your eyes_

…

_The blaze you're feeding more and more_

…

_The razor caressed your flesh_

_And your arms turned red_

_I feel your vast desire. _

**-Bed of Razors, Children of Bodom**

Rei had seen the seven or so additional video channels on her computer virtually as soon as she'd gotten back from the human world with Sousuke. They'd made her feel more than a little…well…awkward.

It wasn't that she hadn't known about the cameras. After all, she'd _asked _Szayel to put them there. But she'd been holding off actually looking at anything on them. Something about Sousuke suggested he knew.

Did he know?

No, that was a silly question to ask herself. Rei could guess that no one got into Lord Aizen's rooms unless he wanted them to. She noticed the double entendre in that sentence, and squirmed again. If he knew, why would he have allowed Szayel to put them there in the first place?

Rei tried to figure out why he could have done it. What motive could he possibly have for wanting her to spy on him?

Maybe he was going to give her another clue about Kyouka Suigetsu. Rei latched onto the idea. Yes, that had to be it. In that case, she should probably go through and watch the few days' worth of videorecordings she'd missed from Sousuke's room.

Rei scrolled through. There were several video files there, but she could skip the ones that had been taken during the day because Sousuke was never in there then. That meant she only had to watch the nighttime ones - or what had been taken during the Las Noches equivalent of nighttime. She kept forgetting that time didn't exist in Hueco Mundo.

She opened one of them, and watched. The first ten minutes or so were just of a darkened empty room, nothing moving except the digital time down the bottom of the screen. Rei fast-forwarded impatiently, waiting for something to happen. Then she saw the door opening, and played the clip at normal speed.

Sousuke entered. To an unsuspecting watcher, Rei knew it would look as if he had no idea he was currently being filmed. But she knew better. As if to confirm it, Sousuke crossed to the other side of his bedroom, lighting a candle on the table next to the double bed. He glanced upwards, seemingly casually. But Rei met his eyes, staring directly at the camera. He smiled that manipulator's smile, his knowing smile.

It was hard for her to remember that this was a past recording. It was as though Sousuke were really standing in his room right now, really looking up at her.

That gave Rei an idea. She checked the time at the lower corner of the computer screen, and noticed that it roughly coincided with the time this particular recording had been taken.

Hurriedly, she switched to the live feed from the bedroom camera.

Sure enough, Sousuke was at the side of his bed, the candle already burning. Had he done this every night, purely on the chance that she'd be watching? Rei's cheeks burned.

As if he could sense her embarrassment, Sousuke looked at the camera again, and smiled that devil's smile again. Rei met his eyes, and nearly dissolved in them. She was astounded that he could still have this much of an effect over her, even through a camera lens.

Yes, he knew she was watching, all right.

The smile never left Sousuke's lips. In fact, it widened, and candlelight danced in his eyes.

Then he opened the front of his white outfit, letting the top half fall to the floor.

_Oh God, _Rei thought, her cheeks burning. _Oh God oh God oh God. _

Sousuke glanced away from the camera, as if to maintain the illusion that he was unconscious of being watched. But Rei saw him stretch, saw the firelight play over bare skin, saw the lean sculpted muscles ripple in his chest and abdomen as he moved his head back.

He opened his mouth just a little, and Rei saw his tongue trace his lower lip. He was looking directly at the camera again. There was no self-consciousness in his movements, no staged air as if he were performing for her. But Rei knew the truth.

Sousuke knew full well she was watching. She could see that smirk of his, knowing and self-satisfied, as he licked his lips. He wasn't giving her a second cryptic clue about Kyouka Suigetsu.

He was giving her a striptease.

Blood went into Rei's face. She felt warm all over, warm and hot and tingly, like she felt whenever he kissed her or even so much as brushed his hand against her shoulder.

_No, _she thought. _I won't give him the satisfaction. _

She moved her hand, going to click the window shut. Then she saw Sousuke's arms fall down, one hand moving down his body, fingers trailing along the ridges of his ribs. Two fingers hooked into the waist of his loose white pants, tugging them down ever so slightly, and her eyes were drawn to the smooth skin beneath his navel. She felt the strange, almost alien desire to lick it.

Rei knew she should look away, but couldn't make herself. She watched in horrified perverse fascination as his pants moved down a little further. She could see the clean curved lines of his hipbones now, flawless like the rest of him.

Then Sousuke sighed, as if he really were tired. He pulled back the sheets with that effortless grace of his, climbing into bed. He reached for something at the side of his bed, and Rei realised it was a book.

She couldn't have said how long she sat there for, watching him read. Every so often, he turned a page, and she could see his eyes moving across the print. Was he really reading?

Was he burning underneath his skin? Was he feeling anything like Rei herself was?

No, she knew. He had made it clear that nothing he'd done with her thus far was new to him.

Unlike Rei, Aizen Sousuke was no virgin.

A sound escaped her lips, and she realised it was a moan. He was holding it up in front of her, showing her what she was denying herself. And how badly Rei wanted to stop denying.

But she knew that if she did, he would sleep with her once and that would be it. It would be an experience Rei herself would never forget. To give her virginity to Sousuke - She sighed momentarily at the thought of it. It still scared her a little, but that feeling was slowly wearing off. She loved him.

But he didn't love her. And it was an experience that he _would _forget, because he would sleep with many others after her once she was gone.

Rei knew that he really did acknowledge her as his equal. To be so easily seduced by him wasn't something Aizen Sousuke's equal would do.

She had to wait until it was impossible for him to oust her from her spot. To do otherwise would be to admit that she was beneath him, only good for that one night.

Rei kept telling herself that. But she stayed there for hours, the computer open, watching him turn page after page. Eventually he blew out the candle, and then she watched him finally fall asleep.

For the most part he was still, and she just let herself look at him. Even in sleep his face had that cleverness about it, his sharp wit not erased entirely but merely lying dormant. She couldn't see all of him in the darkened room. All that illuminated him was what little light came in through the curtained window on the other side of the room.

But that bluish finger of moonlight traced his lips, his angel's mouth, as Rei herself wanted to do. He murmured something unintelligible in his sleep, and Rei let herself imagine for a moment that it was her name.

She stayed there watching him, eyes never leaving the screen although the muted glow from it burned into her brain.

Rei knew she could keep telling herself that she had to hold out against him, but she knew she couldn't do it for long. Like it or not, her resolve was weakening. She was caught up in another mind game with Sousuke, but this time the playing field was anything but level.

She was a novice trying to resist the inevitable victory of a grand master.

* * *

Right now, I am listening to the CD of Aizen-themed music that I just burned. It makes me happy.

I was going to have Rei shut off the computer, and then I realised there was no way she (or anyone alive) would be able to resist Exhibitionist! Aizen. God, I just about dissolved myself _thinking _about Exhibitionist! Aizen. It's totally the kind of thing he'd do.

Speaking of exhibitionism…you'll be pleased to know that this isn't the furthest it goes. Oh, Aizen, you really are a kinky bastard. Oh my. That's all I'm going to say for now. ;)


	49. Voyeurism II

That's right, it's time for another mini-arc! This one (Voyeurism) will be a lot shorter than Devil's Chess Game, though. It's only got three parts. But those three parts - and the final part -

*fangasms from all the sexiness* Lol, I think I made a lot of brains jizz last chapter. Don't worry, you ain't seen nothing yet. *grins*

Warning: this chapter contains lolz. You'll see. And Aizen, being good at chess. (He's good at everything, I swear. Name something completely random and Aizen will be awesome at it.)

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 49

Voyeurism (The Bystander)

_

* * *

_

_We see the shadows _

_That are falling from your eyes,_

_Draining your face of_

_Everything but the disguise_

_..._

_Don't hide, baby, show them just how deep it goes_

_Don't mind the cameras,_

_Let them see your black heart, baby.  
_

**-Different, Pendulum**

Grimmjow could safely say that none of the Espada, including himself, wanted to be there.

Nnoitra was glaring at Ichimaru Gin, holding Santa Teresa in a way that suggested he was tempted to lop the Shinigami lieutenant's head off. Harribel looked disinterested. Szayel was looking at the ceiling, obviously bored. Yammy was acting, as usual, like he wanted to punch something for the hell of it - and preferably Ichimaru at that. Aaroniero, of course, didn't have a facial expression. Zommari was stonily silent. And Starrk -

The Primera Espada was leaning against the wall, asleep. Grimmjow could hear him snoring softly. Lilinette was poking and prodding at him, but getting no reaction. She seemed perfectly content with that.

Ichimaru looked disappointed at the general lack of enthusiasm. 'Aww, yer makin' me sad, Espada-sans,' he said with a sigh. 'Ya should all be excited! After all, it ain't every day we have a chess tournament in Las Noches.'

Nnoitra growled. 'I've heard of this human game,' he muttered under his breath. 'It's for fuckin' wimps.'

Ichimaru's face returned to its characteristic grinning state as he turned to look at the Quinta. 'What was that, Nnoitra-san?' he asked. 'Didn't quite catch ya.'

'Nothing, Ichimaru-sama.'

They were in one of the wide-open rooms of Las Noches. The only difference was that there were a series of square tables lined up, all with black and white chessboards on them. At the front of the room was what looked like a whiteboard.

'I don't mean to be a downer, Ichimaru-sama, but it seems that two of our number have neglected to arrive.' It was Szayel speaking. 'Ulquiorra-san and Barragan-sama are missing.'

'Ah, Ulquiorra-kun's busy tendin' ter Orihime-chan.' Ichimaru looked unaffected by the news. 'An' I didn't invite Barragan-san. I'm sure y'all know he can be a bit of a sore loser.'

'Hmm. And yet you invited Nnoitra,' Szayel observed. 'Interesting.'

The tallest of the Espada rounded on the pink-haired Octava. 'What're you trying to say?' he snarled.

'Szayel-san, Nnoitra-san. Please don't fight.'

Grimmjow recognised Amane's voice instantly. The girl entered through the door next to the whiteboard, smiling slightly in amusement at the gathered Espada. 'Ichimaru-san and I came up with this idea together,' she said. 'Well, it was Ichimaru-san's idea to begin with. But I told him he should go through with it.' She regarded them. 'It's going to be fun. Right?'

Grimmjow suppressed a shudder. He recognised that tone of voice, the light, courteous inflection that nevertheless brooked no argument. She was reminding him of Aizen again. Hopefully that was a temporary thing.

'Should we get started, Ichimaru-sama?'

'Sure thing, Amane-chan.' Ichimaru's smile widened. 'Now, I'll be playin' against Zommari-san. Nnoitra-san can play Grimmjow-san, and - who do ya wanna beat, Amane-chan?' He turned to the puppet queen of Hueco Mundo, who smiled.

'You're too kind, Ichimaru-san,' she said.

Ichimaru waved that aside. 'Aww, ya know it's true, Amane-chan. Yer a smart cookie. Ya've got ta be!' He laughed. 'Yer by Aizen-taicho's side most of the time. An' Aizen-taicho don't like the company of anyone slow.'

Grimmjow felt his fists tighten at that.

Amane looked thoughtful. 'Okay, then - I'll play against Aaroniero-san,' she said, pointing to the Noveno Espada.

''Kay, then. Yammy-san can sit out fer this round, then, since we've got eleven,' Ichimaru continued. Grimmjow glanced at the loudmouthed Cero Espada, feeling jealous of Yammy for the first time in his life.

The Primera was still asleep. Lilinette pinched one of his eyelids between finger and thumb, pulling it back and releasing it with a snap. Starrk awoke with a start, rubbing his eyes. 'Did I miss anything?' he asked, sounding sluggish.

'I'm going to play against the creepy guy!' Lilinette announced, pointing to Szayel. Szayel didn't even respond to the taunt, inspecting his fingernails instead. 'Which means,' she said, kicking the still-sleepy Starrk, 'you're going up against Harribel-san, stupid.'

'Do you have to talk so loudly, Lilinette?' Starrk looked reproachful.

Ichimaru sat down at one of the tables, smiling that smile of his towards Zommari Leroux. Zommari didn't return it. He sat opposite Ichimaru, looking less than pleased at this turn of events.

Grimmjow didn't envy him. At least his own opponent was as unwilling as Grimmjow himself was. He and Nnoitra took the table next to Amane and Aaroniero, and the other two pairs followed suit.

Ichimaru wasted no time getting started. 'It's yer move, Zommari-san,' he said.

Grimmjow turned to look at the chess pieces in front of him. He could only half-remember how to play this game. He moved one of the pawns forward a space.

It rapidly became obvious that Nnoitra had no idea how to play chess, not even vaguely as Grimmjow did. He glared at Amane as Grimmjow took most of his pieces, as if to blame her.

'Don't know why you like that woman so much, Grimmjow,' he muttered, not quite loud enough for her to overhear. Even so, Amane looked over, and Grimmjow accidentally met her gaze.

What he saw there surprised him. He supposed he thought of her as putting on a brave face, stubbornly refusing to cry or bow down despite whatever Aizen was putting her through. He knew she loved the Shinigami, however much he hated to admit it, and he pitied her for it.

Amane didn't look like someone who should be pitied. It was hard for Grimmjow to explain, but watching her face as she played against Aaroniero -

There was a measure of concentration there, yes, but at the same time she wasn't entirely focused on what she was doing. She had Aizen's look about her, that casually thoughtful expression on her face behind the attention she was giving the game.

'Jeez, Grimmjow. You going to hurry up and beat me or not?'

Nnoitra was scowling at him. Grimmjow moved his knight forward. 'Checkmate,' he said.

'Finally.' Nnoitra stood up. 'See ya, suckers,' he announced, using Sonido to transport himself out of the room.

_Damn, _Grimmjow thought. _I should have tried to lose to him. _Then he remembered how badly Nnoitra had played, and realised that trying to let Nnoitra win the game would have kept in the room for longer than anyone else.

Across the other side of the room, Lilinette had just thrown her king at Szayel. 'You must have cheated,' she accused.

'I assure you, you loathsome child, I did not.' Szayel folded his arms. 'I used a perfectly legitimate strategy. You were just too busy trying to capture all my pawns to notice until the last minute.'

Aaroniero was gone. Amane smiled at Grimmjow. 'That didn't take long,' she said, gesturing at Nnoitra's empty seat. 'Are you good at chess, Grimmjow-san?'

Grimmjow shifted in his chair. 'Not really. I guess you are, though. You were a genius or something in the human world, right?'

Ichimaru clapped his hands, interrupting them. 'Ain't anyone else gonna clap?' he asked. 'I just won.'

Amane applauded, humouring the Shinigami lieutenant. 'Oh, well done,' she said. 'But I think you could have beaten anyone you wanted, Ichimaru-san.'

'Aww, yer makin' me blush,' Ichimaru answered, not looking bashful in the slightest. 'Who else won? Ya won yours too, eh, Grimmjow-san? I'm proud of ya.'

Grimmjow shrugged noncommittally.

Lilinette had shifted her attentions away from Szayel towards Starrk again. The other half of the Primera was asleep again. Grimmjow could tell, from the ten or so white pieces at the side of the table, that he'd been spectacularly beaten by Harribel.

Lilinette kicked Starrk in the head. 'Wake up, dummy!' she shouted. 'This tournament thingy is lame. Let's do something else.'

Starrk sat up, rubbing his head. 'All right, all right,' he agreed. Both the Primera left the room, leaving only Grimmjow, Szayel, Ichimaru, Amane, Harribel and the excluded Yammy behind.

'Yammy-san!' Ichimaru called out, returning the pieces on his chess board to their original positions with improbable speed. 'Yer playin' against me! I'm excited, how 'bout you?'

Yammy didn't look in the slightest excited. He sat down opposite Ichimaru. 'Get it over with,' he grumbled.

'Well, I'm going to play Szayel-san next,' Amane said, moving over to the Arrancar scientist, who'd already rearranged his chess pieces ready for the next game. 'Unless he objects.'

Szayel fixed his glasses. 'Of course not, Amane-sama,' he replied smoothly.

Grimmjow was playing against Harribel, and he could feel himself steadily losing. _Who knew? _he thought. _The Tres is a secret prodigy. Maybe her and Aporro have got more in common than I thought. _

He took the opportunity to watch Tia Harribel. She concealed her eyes from him, always looking away. Aizen had changed her in that respect. Before he'd done what he had - _raped her_ Grimmjow thought - she'd always met the other Espada with a cool and direct green stare.

Harribel was a Vasto Lorde, and Aizen had somehow made her afraid to even look the lesser Espada in the eye.

She gave no sign that she remembered their brief conversation in the hallway, brief as it had been. Grimmjow felt uncomfortable, even guilty at concealing it from Aporro. He hadn't exactly lied. He'd just omitted. That was how he tried to justify it to himself.

She had walked past him in one of the many corridors of Las Noches, and stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. 'Grimmjow,' she'd said, in that quiet voice of hers.

'What, Tia?' Grimmjow's voice had sounded hostile, against his intentions. He was taken aback that the Tres Espada was bothering to address him alone, when she'd never done it before. He was apprehensive, because whatever Tia Harribel wanted him for, it wasn't a social chat.

'You'll probably try and lie to me.' She'd spoken carefully, flatly, without any sort of emotional inflection. 'You care for Lady Amane, don't you?'

Grimmjow remembered wondering why he would bother to lie to her about that. All the Espada had to know it by now. 'Yeah,' he'd muttered.

'Then I know you're going to try and keep her away from Lord Aizen,' she'd replied, watching his startled reaction and narrowing her eyes. 'Do you really think I'd be the kind of person to tell him?'

'No,' Grimmjow had acknowledged, feeling ashamed.

'I'm offering you my help,' Tia had told him in an undertone. 'I'll do what I can. You know why.' And with that, she'd moved away from him, leaving Grimmjow standing shell-shocked in the middle of the hall.

He did know why. Everyone in Las Noches, except for Amane Rei, knew exactly why.

Grimmjow knew he hadn't been the only one to see the bruises on Harribel's ribs and wrists the next day, the slight limp in her step. Aizen hadn't been gentle. And Amane couldn't withstand the same amount of damage an Arrancar - a Vasto Lorde Espada - could.

'Checkmate,' Tia said softly, moving her queen in on Grimmjow's king. Grimmjow rose, standing off to the side. He'd initially intended to leave the room as the others had, but the next person to enter changed his mind.

'Ah, Aizen-sama,' Ichimaru said, sounding inordinately cheerful. 'Did ya see Yammy-san on yer way in? I cleaned 'im up a few minutes ago.'

'No, I must have missed him.' Grimmjow saw the darker-haired Shinigami's eyes fall on Amane Rei, and ground his teeth. 'I see you've defeated Szayel,' Aizen remarked.

Szayel sighed delicately. 'Indeed she has, Aizen-sama. And I've always considered myself to be rather good at this game.'

Amane's face coloured as Aizen stood behind her, hands resting on her shoulders. 'It seems my lady is better,' he murmured, bending down to kiss the top of her head.

Grimmjow kept his temper in check with considerable effort. Aizen was trying to get to him. He was rubbing it in Grimmjow's nose again. He could see that plainly enough.

But Aizen wasn't forcing Amane to smile that dreamy smile, or fabricating the blush in her cheeks and lips.

_She loves him, _Grimmjow thought, and felt a twinge.

Aizen stepped away from her, and Ichimaru turned to address Amane. 'Would I be able ta have the honour of a game with ya, Amane-chan?' he asked, gesturing towards the seat opposite him.

'Of course, Ichimaru-san.' Amane moved into position, and Ichimaru made the first move. Aizen sat opposite Harribel, and Grimmjow felt a surge of sympathy for Tia. He could tell how much fun this was going to be for her.

They started playing, and Grimmjow knew enough about chess to be able to tell that Harribel was trying in vain to lose on purpose. Unfortunately for her, Aizen was onto it. He was graciously allowing her any possible opening, as if daring her to try and beat him.

To anyone else, it would have looked like Aizen was being a gentleman, going easy on Harribel even. Grimmjow knew otherwise. He was preventing Tia from making her escape. He was enjoying watching her squirm, and that made Grimmjow want to punch him in the head for the umpteenth time.

Harribel launched a plainly suicidal attack on Aizen's queen, diverting it to his king at the last minute. Aizen effortlessly deflected it, taking most of Harribel's pieces in the moves after. Harribel sacrificed piece after piece, throwing away everything standing in front of her king. It would have been obvious even to Nnoitra by now what Harribel was trying desperately to do.

Eventually Aizen seemed to take pity on her, moving his queen and then one of his rooks forwards. 'Checkmate,' he said lightly, and Harribel rose from her seat. 'Thank you, Aizen-sama.' Grimmjow heard the fervour in her voice, and then she disappeared in a Sonido.

Ichimaru and Amane were still going. Grimmjow couldn't tell who was winning, but found out soon enough. Amane moved her bishop. 'Checkmate,' she said proudly.

'Ah, ya got me, Amane-chan.' Ichimaru sounded downcast. 'An' I wasn't goin' easy on ya, neither.'

Amane laughed. 'No, you weren't. You definitely made me work for it, Ichimaru-san.' She turned away from the lieutenant of Las Noches to face its king. 'Shall we, Lord Aizen?' she said sweetly.

Grimmjow heard Aizen's chuckle and reply. 'I certainly don't intend to go easy on you, my dear.'

Feeling like swearing in disgust, Grimmjow went to leave the room.

'Won't ya stay, Grimmjow-san?'

It was Ichimaru's voice. 'This here's gonna be a sight ter see, after all.' He paused for a moment. 'I reckon Amane-chan might give Aizen-taicho a run fer 'is money.'

If nothing else, the prospect of Aizen being beaten at something made staying seem like a good idea. Grimmjow turned back around, nodding. 'Fine,' he said. 'I'll stay.'

He pulled up a seat next to the chessboard. A few moves in, Grimmjow realised he needn't have bothered. He couldn't figure out what either of them were trying to do. Both of them seemed to be moving pieces backwards and forwards in a complicated dance.

It seemed like Amane was just as much of a convoluted chess player as Aizen was.

Grimmjow stopped looking at the board after a while, and tried to read their faces instead.

Aizen's face held its usual thoughtful mask, while Amane's bore a slight frown of concentration. Occasionally Aizen would nod or smile at some move of Amane's, or vice versa.

'Seems like it's gonna go on forever, don't it, Grimmjow-san?' Ichimaru commented.

'Hmm, indeed it does.' Aizen ran his tongue over his upper lip, appearing deep in thought. 'You're quite skilled at this, Lady Amane.' The smile he gave her then was reminiscent of Szayel Aporro Granz in one of his lecherous moments. The resemblance was only slight, but it was still there. Grimmjow picked up the undercurrent. He could tell that Aizen was referring to some previous private conversation between the two of them, and not a child-friendly one either. Amane reddened violently, looking down at the chessboard instead. She made her move, and looked back up at Aizen.

'I have to say, Aizen-sama,' she commented. 'Just then, it seemed like you _wanted _me to see what you were up to.'

'Is that so?' Aizen moved his queen. 'What would lead you to that observation, pray tell?'

'Perhaps the fact that no one else could have possibly done it, except for you.' Amane's eyes were meeting Aizen's.

_They're definitely not talking about the chess game, _Grimmjow realised.

'I may have to acknowledge that as correct. You've forced me back into a corner, my dear.' Aizen rested his index finger on top of his rook before leisurely sliding it forward. 'That's quite an achievement. Please do tell me why you think I might want you to see anything so private.'

'Because -' Amane was blushing again. 'Because you know what I want, which is also what you want. And you're trying to make me forget myself long enough to give in to you.'

'Why would I need to resort to trickery?' Aizen sounded genuinely surprised. 'If we both want the same thing, wouldn't it be mutually beneficial to both of us for you to - as you say - give in, my lady?' He smiled that smile again, the Szayel-smile that Grimmjow didn't like. He moved another piece.

'There you go again, Aizen-sama,' she replied, looking down at the board. 'You're being sneaky.' Amane made her move, and Aizen clicked his tongue. 'You'll never checkmate me that way,' he said, moving his queen again.

'Maybe I'm not trying to checkmate you,' Amane answered him, looking thoughtful. 'Maybe I just want to figure you out before I do anything impulsive.'

'Oh, my queen,' Aizen sighed. 'I thought I'd given you ample opportunity to figure me out. You can't deny that you've been seeing a lot more of me lately.' He chuckled.

Amane went red again. 'Yes, but you're terribly repetitive,' she said. 'You do the same thing, every single time.' She made another move.

'Repetitive? No one's ever used that word in relation to me before. Isn't that right, Gin?'

'Sure is, Aizen-taicho.' Ichimaru's eyes flashed for a moment, but were concealed within his squint again. 'I can tell ya this for nothin', Amane-chan. Aizen-taicho's anythin' but repetitive.'

'Thank you, Gin.' Aizen moved again. 'What if I were to do something different?' he enquired. 'I could do that at the same time as giving you that clue of yours you seem to want so much. Would that please you, Lady Amane?'

Amane didn't answer, studying the board instead. 'You're right,' she said after a while. 'I'll never checkmate you, will I? And you'll never checkmate me.' She toyed with her bishop, finally moving it to the square directly in front of Aizen's king.

'Stalemate,' she said. 'Neither of us wins.'

Aizen rested his chin on his hand, looking. 'So it would appear,' he said finally.

* * *

That chess game - so much innuendo. And so much troll love. :D

The second instalment of Voyeurism is over! Now there is only the nosebleed-inducing third chapter to go!

I'm so excited, I want to write it right away. Oh right, I just looked at the time on my computer and realised it's 1 in the morning and I should really go to sleep. Like now.

In the words of Gin-san:

Bye-bye!


	50. Voyeurism III

The last of the three Voyeurism chapters…and….

*DRUMROLL PLZ* (I know, I know, third drumroll already…)

The fiftieth chapter! Happy fiftieth anniversary Angina/Symphony! And what better way to celebrate a landmark occasion than with a lemon?

Yes, you heard me right.

Sorry to disappoint you, but it's not Amane and Aizen. This is AiGin. (I think everyone should have figured out by now that Gin is Aizen's on-and-off sexual partner. If you hadn't figured it out - for whatever reason - then I apologise profusely for spoiling it for you). I know there are people who like to avoid this kind of thing where possible. Therefore, to avoid offending anybody, I will place the _explicit_ stuff between a discreet set of grey bars.

As a legal adult (at eighteen), I feel the duty to warn anyone who's underage (say, younger than fifteen) to skip the bit between the grey bars. As a fanfic writer (and reader) I know that anyone who likes AiGin, underage or not, is going to want to see (after all, I was a HUGE pervert at fourteen - and still am). In that case, if you get disturbed, don't blame me. (You chose to read it…you pervert. LOL.)

Also:

This is my first ever sex scene involving two guys. I have tried to make it as well-written as it can possibly be, because to do otherwise would be an insult to both amazingly wonderful characters. That being said, I am kind of nervous about this. If you do choose to read it, and if you think it needs constructive criticism, then by all means offer said criticism so that I can improve. (But please be nice. Pretty please?)

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 50

Voyeurism (The Observed - Mirror, Mirror)

_

* * *

We seduce the dark with pain and rapture_

_Like two ships that pass in the night_

_You and I,_

_A whore and a bashful sailor_

_Welcome to a sunrise of a dirty mind. _

…

_Eyes so bright, seductive lies_

_Crimson masquerade where I merely played my part_

_Poison dart of desire_

…

_All you love is a lie_

_You one-night butterfly. _

**-Whoever Brings the Night, Nightwish**

He had promised her something different tonight. And Aizen Sousuke had told Amane Renata, after all, that he was a man of his word.

This was something he didn't intend to renege on.

'Teasin' me again, are ya, Aizen-taicho?'

Aizen reclined on his bed, meeting Gin's perpetual smile with an ironic one of his own. His lieutenant was standing at the door, one hand resting against the wall. The younger man's fingers splayed against the smooth surface, spindly and white and longer than his own.

Aizen studied that hand, deep in thought. He knew there was a significant chance that this could go wrong. He had determined for certain that Renata was observing him, during the previous night at the very least. The dark circles he'd seen under the girl's eyes during their chess game had confirmed that.

The uncertainty in this plan stemmed from the knowledge that he couldn't accurately predict Renata's behaviour, as he could with everyone else he'd ever met. Aizen knew her well enough to have some idea of how she'd respond to given situations, but didn't know for certain how she'd react to what he intended to show her tonight.

The girl was a virgin, after all. She'd never had any experience in matters sexual, and seeing such an - _intimate_ - display could very well alarm her. There was also the possibility that it would induce the same reaction Renata had displayed when she'd seen him with Orihime.

Somehow, Aizen strongly suspected he wouldn't be frightening her off. He knew she wanted him, and that longing had only grown stronger under his tutelage. He'd subtly instructed Renata in the art of desire, and like any student of his she'd progressed impressively. Everyone else he'd charmed into his bed had been well versed in that particular school of thought, but not her. Aizen had been the first one to awaken his young protégée's sexuality, and he knew she wasn't likely to forget it. And as for the other possible outcome -

This was going to be very different to his display with Inoue Orihime. Aizen would see to that.

'Ta be honest, I didn't think ya'd be likely to give me this honour again, Aizen-taicho.' Gin's eyelids lifted, just a little, and Aizen saw a flash of crimson irises. 'After all, ya got Amane-chan now.'

'Amane-chan isn't ready for me yet.' Aizen beckoned his lieutenant forward. 'Surely you've recognised that by now, Gin.'

The younger Shinigami obediently moved forward, perching himself on the end of the bed. 'I reckon so,' he said, sounding indifferent. 'She might be a smart cookie, but she's only a kid.' His smile stayed fixed on his face, but Aizen could see Gin was keeping it there through effort.

In truth, that was why his lieutenant intrigued him. Aizen hadn't needed to teach Gin to desire him, as he had with Renata. And yet, whenever their bodies joined together, he could sense that part of the other man was unwilling. Aizen could easily attribute that to Matsumoto Rangiku.

Ichimaru Gin cared for the Tenth Company lieutenant as Grimmjow cared for Amane Renata. Aizen had never forced Gin into bed with him, as he had ordered Tia Harribel, who had been unable to refuse. He had always given Gin the opportunity to say no. Gin had never taken it.

Nevertheless, there was a part of Gin which didn't belong to Aizen. And that knowledge was a double-edged sword. Occasionally it attracted Aizen, as Amane Renata attracted him. But Renata danced Aizen's dance - it was as much her dance as it was his - and always managed to match him. Gin danced a dance all his own, and his feet would never be as light or as swift as Aizen's. Gin's legs were weighed down by the shackles Matsumoto Rangiku had unwittingly welded around his ankles.

Although Gin pleased him, in body and in mind, Aizen knew he would never consider the other Shinigami his equal.

That was always reflected in their nighttime activities.

'You're too far away, Gin,' Aizen said, hearing the unspoken command in his own voice.

Gin knew him well enough to know what the command was. 'Nah, I like it over here, Aizen-sama,' he replied. 'If ya want me over there -' His eyes flashed underneath his eyelids again, 'ya could always come get me.'

'I didn't expect you to be so difficult.' Aizen's fingers loosened the sash at his waist, flicking the white shihakusho open like wings either side of his body. 'Perhaps I need to show you what you've been missing, Gin.'

His lieutenant's eyes opened fully now, lingering on Aizen's bare chest. 'It's like I told ya, Aizen-sama,' he said, grin at its widest. He moved towards Aizen on the bed. 'Ya really are a tease.'

Aizen took the opportunity, right before Gin leaned over him, to look up at the hidden camera he knew his queen was watching through.

**

* * *

**

Gin hovered above his captain, smiling as if he were the one doing the tempting. Aizen pulled his lieutenant down on top of him, meeting Gin's mouth with a groan that he knew would please the other man. It was only half fabricated. Aizen had gone without indulging in this particular pleasure for longer than he was accustomed to, and there was a hollow hunger within him wanting to be fed.

He entered the Shinigami's mouth with his tongue, letting out another moan of desire as much for Renata's benefit as for Gin's. Gin responded by sliding his hands up and down Aizen's body, moving those thin fingers over his ribs and brushing deftly over his navel.

Aizen caught his lieutenant's wrists in his hands, hearing the chuckle in the back of his own throat. Gin made a disappointed noise. 'Didn't think ya were that much of a cruel man, Aizen-taicho,' he said. 'Denyin' me again? It's awful harsh of ya. An' here I was thinkin' ya were lettin' me be the seme fer once.'

'It's as you said, Gin. I'm teasing you,' Aizen replied lightly, looking up into red eyes. 'Besides, I have a question for you before we go any further.'

'An' what would that be, Aizen-taicho?'

Aizen paused. 'I've always been curious as to why you enjoy this so much,' he said.

'Ah, I've told ya before. Yer a beautiful man, Aizen-sama. I don't think there's anyone as wouldn't take the chance ter go ta bed with ya.' Gin laughed, pressing his lips to his captain's again. ''Sides, there's a certain poetry ta us two, don'tcha reckon? I'm the only one ta know the secret of yer lady Kyouka Suigetsu there.' Aizen felt cool fingers brush his hip, lingering near the cooler metal of his Zanpakutou's hexagonal guard as if not quite daring to touch it.

He chuckled. 'You're speaking as if you know what form Kyouka Suigetsu takes when it reveals itself to me.'

'Ah now, Aizen-taicho. She'll get sulky, hearin' ya call her an _it _like that.' Gin's weight, less than his own, settled on top of him. 'Ya told me once before she was a lady.'

'Indeed I did.' Aizen parted his legs, making room for Gin. The other man's bony hips pressing into his inner thighs didn't cause him any discomfort at all. 'Although that is mostly conjecture. It shouldn't be too hard to guess that Kyouka Suigetsu can take any form she wants to. I have gathered that she prefers to be female, though.'

More recently, Kyouka Suigetsu seemed to prefer looking like Renata. Aizen's Zanpakutou was a reflection of his personality, after all, and Aizen himself could wear any face he wanted to in order to distract and confuse whoever his opponent happened to be. His inner world was layer upon layer of masks, reversal on top of reversal, and Kyouka Suigetsu was no exception.

She used Renata's face, Renata's body, taunting him with the same veiled spiteful mask that Renata herself wore for Orihime. Aizen remembered considering the similarities between Renata and Hinamori Momo, Renata and Unohana Retsu, Renata and Hirako Shinji.

Renata was none of those. Kyouka Suigetsu had been appearing in Aizen's dreams more and more, laughing and smiling and dancing away. She was trying to beat him at his own game.

Renata had come to remind Aizen of his Kyouka Suigetsu, the Zanpakutou that would not submit.

'Yeah, I guess so,' Gin was saying in response to his earlier remark. 'She's an illusion sword after all, ain't she? Stands ter reason she can look like whatever she wants.'

'Mmm.' Aizen arched his back upwards, kissing Gin again. Renata would know now what his Shikai did, or figure it out very soon. He had intended to keep Kyouka Suigetsu in reserve, to use against Renata if need be. Somewhere along the line that intention had been discarded. He had been caught up in the game with her, finally having an opponent he could stand on a level with.

'How 'bout Amane-chan?' Gin's mouth was lingering just near his, the other Shinigami's breath warm and light on his face. 'Ya told her 'bout Kyouka Suigetsu's Shikai yet?'

_Speak of the devil, _Aizen thought.

He laughed, unfastening Kyouka Suigetsu at his waist and discarding the sword on the floor. It fell with a metallic clatter. 'If she's as clever as I give her credit for, she'll work it out on her own,' he replied.

'S'no use askin' if ya've told her anythin' 'bout ya Bankai.' Gin was kissing his neck now, the kisses sharp and fast with more teeth than lips. 'Took ya long enough ta tell _me_, didn't it, Aizen-taicho?'

'It certainly did.' Aizen shifted on the bed, looking up at the hidden camera again. Gin's mouth, warm and responsive to his every desire, kissed down his chest. The fingers of one hand were playing with the already loose sash of his pants.

'You're overly talkative tonight, Gin,' he said. 'I'm sure you can find other ways to occupy that mouth of yours.'

Gin paused for a moment, shrugging off his own white shihakusho. The moonlight streaming in through the partially opened window illuminated his lieutenant's body.

Aizen knew not many would consider Ichimaru Gin beautiful. He himself didn't. Gin's body was all angles and thinness, white-skinned and long-limbed and awkward. It had been that way since Gin's adolescence, when Aizen had taken his young lieutenant's virginity a few years after he had attained the rank of Fifth Division captain.

Aizen knew it wasn't Gin's appearance, or even the stark contrast between Gin and his own physical beauty, that attracted him to the younger Shinigami. His attraction sprung from the roots of sadism.

Aizen knew that every time Gin gave into his carnal desires and slept with him, the younger man felt as if he were betraying Matsumoto Rangiku. That guilt always had a bittersweet taste on Gin's tongue when they kissed.

Aizen hooked his legs around Gin's back, and the Shinigami fell down on top of him again. Gin's fingers eagerly worked his pants open, and Aizen smiled up at the blank spot on the wall. He allowed a not-entirely-synthesized gasp of pleasure to escape his lips as the younger Shinigami closed his mouth around his sex. It gave Aizen a wonderful perverse shudder, knowing she was looking down on him at that very moment.

Gin moved his mouth in the way Aizen had taught him, and Aizen's hips lifted off the bed. He moaned, one hand knotting itself in the sheets.

'Yes, Gin,' he panted. 'Like that.'

He wasn't usually so vocal during his lieutenant's ministrations, and Aizen could tell that his sounds of gratification were pleasing Gin. He smiled to himself, knowing he was putting on the performance not for Gin, but for Renata. The smile fell away as he imagined again how she was watching him, her eyes running guiltily over his exposed body and Gin's head between his legs.

Aizen looked down, seeing what she was seeing. The moonlight glanced off Gin's silver hair, a pale shining circle like an insipid halo. His subordinate's mouth - that wide, expressive, flexible mouth of his - moved in long graceful strokes up and down the length of Aizen's cock.

There was something undeniably erotic about seducing her this way, and Aizen had to admit that was part of his intention. Everything he did was subtly self-serving, and this was no exception.

One of his hands reached down, resting on the back of Gin's neck. His lieutenant recognised the signal to stop, and obeyed. 'Ain't I pleasin' ya, Aizen-taicho?' he murmured.

'You've done well, Gin,' Aizen replied into the dimly lit room. 'But I would like you to please me in another way.'

He moved his own half-naked body forward, making sure that Gin's torso concealed his exposed - and still hard - sex from Renata's vantage point. Aizen liked seeing the expressions on his partners' faces whenever they watched him undress in front of them for the first time. Like anyone who was beautiful and knew it, that awe and wonder at the sight of his naked self was a form of gratification in itself to Aizen.

He didn't intend to spoil the surprise for Renata by giving anything away.

Aizen pushed Gin onto his back with easy strength. 'I wish to hear you say it, Gin,' he said in an undertone. 'Who is your master?'

'That's an easy one.' Ichimaru was on his back, smiling up at him. 'Aizen-taicho, a' course.'

'Who do you desire above anyone else?'

'Aww, too easy again. Aizen-taicho.'

'Oh?' Aizen's hands moved to Gin's waist, loosening his pants and sliding them over legs that were as awkwardly formed as the rest of the younger man's body. Gin gasped as Aizen lightly traced a finger over his chest, stomach, navel, cock. 'Correct me if I'm wrong, Gin.' His voice was still darkened with the shadow of lust. 'I did think at one point that you desired another over me. Let me see if I can recall her name.'

'Aah - Aizen-taicho -' Gin bucked his hips, face contorted with a mixture of guilty pain and pleasure. 'There ain't no one else.'

'Are you sure, Gin? You know I don't like it when my subordinates lie to me.' Aizen smiled his benefactor's smile, working his hand between Gin's legs. 'There's absolutely no one besides me, you say? Not even the lovely Matsumoto Rangiku? She's almost as beautiful as I am.'

Gin twisted beneath him. 'N-no, Aizen-taicho. There's no one - as can hold a candle ter ya.'

Aizen lowered his lips to his lieutenant's, kissing him almost tenderly. 'That's what I like to hear, Gin. Please don't worry. I am not an uncaring master, after all.' He moved his mouth away. 'Of course you deserve a reward for telling me the truth.'

And Aizen gave Gin his reward. As he entered his lieutenant, Gin gasped and moaned and thrust his hips upwards into Aizen's, much more free with his pleased noises than Aizen himself had been.

Never, not once, did Aizen forget that she was watching him from above, his queen, his human Kyouka Suigetsu, his Renata. He never forgot to glance up at her as he thrust in and out of Gin, smiling a wicked smile with no pretences in the way. He didn't need to pretend, because she knew him as he truly was.

And right near the end, when pleasure overtook him and Aizen allowed the cry of orgasm to escape his lips, he thought of her.

**

* * *

**

He was Aizen Sousuke, after all. He never stopped thinking, not even while he was breaking his lieutenant's heart.

Gin's heart, the softest part of him which belonged to the woman he so endearingly called Ran-chan, was his greatest weakness. It meant that there were moments where Gin let his guard down.

Neither Aizen - nor, he suspected, Renata - could do likewise.

Neither of them were so foolish as to possess something so vulnerable, so breakable, as a heart.

* * *

It's finally done! Time to put everyone out of their misery.

It didn't turn out as sex-oriented as I thought it would. I actually ended up feeling a bit sad for poor Gin. This thing was bloody hard to write. I started writing it when my mum had her day off work. Nothing puts you off writing a lemon like your MOTHER walking in and out of the room, asking you how your novel's going and if you'd mind getting her the decomposing bananas from the fridge. (They were zombie bananas, I swear. And she kept _almost _walking behind me while I was trying to write the blow job scene. That was…erm…potentially awkward.)

"Just look at this zombie banana. JUST LOOK AT IT."

The above is a quote from what is possibly the most random forum thread I have ever posted in. (Blame Humans vs. Zombies at ANU.)

Okay, I should probably post this now *cringes*. I'm terrified of getting flamed, because I've edited this over and over and I'm still not sure it's good enough. But everyone who's reviewed thus far has been so nice…I don't think anyone will flame me.

Seriously, if the sex was crap, tell me and I will _try _and redo the chapter. I'm hoping it isn't. I've read enough shitty (and gratuitously explicit) yaoi fics to have a fair idea of what not to do.

In short, not quite as nosebleed-inducing as I made it out to be. Mostly because it turned out different, sadder and darker, than I expected it to. (That's foreshadowing for the EPIC plot twist that's coming up.) Poor Gin. Although Chibi Aizen is happy.

Aizen: All his bases are belong to me.

Me: Shut it, you evil dirty chibi. Can't you see how sad and touching this is for Gin?

Aizen: Yes. And Aizen-sama does not care. Aizen-sama cares for nobody's feelings. Including yours, woman.

Me: *face palms*


	51. Kyouka Suigetsu

Awesome plot twist plz!

I am SO excited, have been waiting to write this for AGES. This is my own theory about Aizen's Zanpakutou, which actually makes a lot of sense in light of the most recent (non-filler) anime episode.

Although that filler was pretty hilarious. LOL at Kyouraku's attempt to make a porno. (Rei could have sold him her AiGin video…lol. She got to see what every AiGin fangirl would give her right arm to watch. Damn you, Rei. Again.)

But I digress.

This is just….omfgdgjjfkdkfkkdvksd;lsdpgfdbvbnoewbleeeeeh. I can find no words for how AWESOME this chapter is. Read it and you'll see. Hopefully you'll be as impressed as Chibi Aizen and I were. It is really, really long, but hopefully no one minds. And thanks for over 100 reviews everyone!

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 51

Kyouka Suigetsu - The Lady in the Water

_**

* * *

**Come to bed, don't make me sleep alone_

_Couldn't hide the emptiness_

_You let it show._

…

_I can't hold on to me_

_Wonder what's wrong with me_

…

_Darling, I forgive you after all_

_Anything is better than to be alone. _

**-Lithium, Evanescence**

Rei couldn't remember where she was, or how she'd gotten there.

She tried to move, but for some reason her legs took longer to obey her than usual. The space surrounding them felt warmer and more viscous than usual.

Rei looked down, with dreamlike slowness. Panic filled her. Her legs had disappeared.

_No, _she told herself, in a mixture of annoyance and relief. _It's just water. _

Her fingers skimmed across the surface, grey and misty. If Rei looked closely, she could see the very dim and foggy shape of her legs. The water came up to her waist, the surface ending just below her navel.

Rei realised, without feeling any sort of self-consciousness, that she was naked. Of course she didn't feel self-conscious. There was no one else there.

That thought had the familiar ring of untruth to it.

Head snapping up, Rei surveyed her surroundings, feeling distinctly uneasy. Nothing existed, save the unending surface of the water. Rei was surrounded by unforgiving reflection, the boundary between water and sky blending hazily into nothing and making her feel as if half of her really had disappeared.

Feeling silly, she raised a leg. Her knee emerged from the surface, droplets clinging to the pale skin. 'See,' she told herself aloud. 'You do have legs, stupid.'

Her voice echoed uncomfortably in the vast emptiness. It added to the unshakeable sense Rei had that she wasn't supposed to be here, wherever _here _was.

She was unwanted, unintended. _Intruder, _the greyish world around her whispered, feeling as if it were breathing warm and heavy on the back of her neck.

It wasn't entirely a feeling that this place was forbidden to her. It was half a feeling that she was somewhere intensely private, not to her but to somebody else - but it was more than that as well.

Rei mentally floundered, trying to put a finger on it, and then it came to her - not together but in pieces. _This is a dream, _she thought, and part of her was instantly relieved. _But it's real as well - I don't understand. _

_I'm here by accident. _That sounded right. And then finally -

_It feels - not right - because there's a secret here. _

Rei lost that thought, because she heard the voice.

'Intruder.'

She flinched guiltily, turning. The water swirled in eddies around her waist, and Rei saw the woman speaking.

It was her, but - not quite right. Rei couldn't put her finger on it, and then she realised it was because she wasn't looking at a reflection. This was no mirror image. It was an actual copy of her.

_But that can't be right, _she thought, confused. _If this is my dream, then shouldn't my subconscious have conjured up my mental image of me? I _should _be seeing a reflection. _

The not-Rei smiled at her. It wasn't a friendly smile.

'I'm sorry,' Rei apologised, because she knew she really did have no right to be here. Immediately she knew it was the wrong thing to say. This was _her, _after all. And Rei knew she hated anything pathetic, hated apologies.

'You should be, dear.' Not-Rei parted a veil of damp tangled hair with her hands, pushing it away from her face and body. Rei avoided looking at her own naked breasts. 'You're not supposed to be here. Although I suppose you've figured that out for yourself by now.'

She disappeared, and Rei realised it was a Shunpo, or a Sonido, or whatever it was called.

Not-Rei appeared in front of her, less than ten centimetres away. Rei gasped. 'He doesn't want anyone in here.' Not-Rei's voice was low, almost a purr. 'Especially not you, sweetheart.'

'Who's _he_?' Rei asked, although she knew already. _Sousuke, _she thought. _This is something to do with Sousuke. _

Not-Rei ignored her question, instead leaning in closer. 'I wonder, how did you get in?' she mused.

'You'll just have to keep wondering.' Rei folded her arms. 'I'm not going to tell you.'

'Why is that, darling?' Not-Rei's hands went to her shoulders. Rei wanted to shove her away, but _knew, _with dream-certainty, that it would be a bad move. 'It can't be out of loyalty to him.'

'Loyalty?' Rei phrased the question rhetorically. 'You'll have to explain that concept to me.'

'Oh, dear, you're just like him, aren't you?' Not-Rei's face contorted into a snarl. 'Modelled yourself on him, have you?'

Rei didn't deign to give a reply.

'Well, I'll tell you something for free.' Not-Rei wrapped her arms around Rei, in a twisted parody of an embrace. She leaned in, whispering in Rei's ear. 'Fuck your God, sweetheart. He might like to pretend to you that he's all powerful -' She bit Rei's earlobe, in the same way Sousuke himself liked to do.

'-but he's not.' Rei's skin was crawling, longing to push this awful false her away. 'Darling, there's things in this world that even precious fucking Aizen Sousuke and his thousand faces can't control. There are things in existence -'

She leaned away.

'-that won't submit even to him.'

The grey nothingness around them seemed to waver then. Images flashed through Rei's head. There was a kind-faced man with glasses, a girl a little younger than her with dark hair pulled back into a bun. Then there was the man with glasses again, but he was dead. Flecks of blood stained his face, and the white robe he wore. Rei tried to look closer at his face - there was something familiar about it - but he disappeared.

It was too fast, too quick, too _much. _The grey turned black, and Rei felt as if she were falling, down through warm jellylike darkness, through a Garganta of her own creation.

Her body jerked.

Rei's eyes opened, and she gasped, having forgotten momentarily how to breathe. She forced air in and out of her lungs, fighting her way out of her bed sheets. _If you ever fall and hit the ground in your dreams, you'll die from the shock of it, _she found herself thinking. _Is that true? Where did I read it?_

She felt confused and out of sorts, still shaken by the dream - if it _had _been a dream and not some kind of strange premonition. Something about the dream had felt real.

Either way, Rei was relieved to be out of it.

She swung her legs over the side of her bed, feeling clammy and uncomfortable. Looking at her right hand, she saw the sheen of sweat. She smelt like an ill person.

Curling her lip in disgust, Rei went into her ensuite. She needed a bath, and she needed it now.

Her mind unwound from the dream as the water ran into the bathtub, filling the room with steam. Rei undressed, lost in thought - but more specifically lost in memory.

She hadn't felt any sort of jealousy, seeing Sousuke and Ichimaru on the bed. Admittedly, she had blushed violently when Ichimaru had bent his head down between Sousuke's legs. It had been all too easy for Rei to fill in the blanks there. She had stared, incapable of doing anything else.

Physically, they'd seemed like such an unlikely match. When Ichimaru had removed the top half of his own white outfit, Rei's first startled thought had been that he didn't look much older than her. His torso had been so thin, pale and not-quite-formed. He had been entirely unlike Sousuke.

Oh God. Sousuke.

Rei remembered it all acutely. It had been just like when he'd partially undressed in front of the camera for her. His eyes, with that wicked gleam in them, had met her own. Occasionally they had closed, as Sousuke murmured or gasped with pleasure.

_Yer a beautiful man, Aizen-sama. I don't think there's anyone as wouldn't take the chance ter go ta bed with ya. _

Ichimaru had been right there.

Rei turned the water off, stepping in with a sigh. The water felt so good, as if it were stripping the last remnants of the dream away from her.

No, Rei hadn't felt any jealousy, not even that much in the way of embarrassment, seeing Sousuke with Ichimaru. What she had felt was the sudden aching longing to be able to make him moan and cry out in the same way - or, even better, for Sousuketo be the one to make her let go just like he himself had.

What she had felt had been raw, unabashed, hot-blooded desire.

She sank beneath the water, hands on her own shoulders, hugging herself. Her hair floated on the surface like thick curly seaweed. Rei ran her hands down her sides, pretending they were Sousuke's. Her skin tingled in response.

She knew what Kyouka Suigetsu did now. It created illusions, and Ichimaru was somehow immune to it. Rei wondered how that had happened, if it had been intentional on Sousuke's part.

_Of course it was, _she thought.

But she wasn't entirely correct. Ichimaru's lessons, in that schoolroom of his in front of the projector screen, had taught Rei a number of things about a number of topics. Among those topics were Seireitei, Shinigami in general, and the Gotei 13. Rei had learnt about the roles of Captain and Lieutenant within the Thirteen Court Protection Squads, and what was required to attain the rank of Captain. She knew about the Captain Qualification Exam, and that Sousuke had once been the Fifth Division captain.

And she knew that a requirement of the Captain Qualification Exam was the attainment of Bankai, which meant the Shinigami in question had to force his or her Zanpakutou to materialise into its true form and then duel it into submission.

Rei knew about Kyouka Suigetsu's Shikai, but not its Bankai.

But that was all right. The lingering guilt Rei felt at the inevitability of giving in melted away entirely with that thought.

She knew what she needed to know now. Rei didn't think anyone else knew. Of course, she could be wrong. Even so, just like the dream, it felt real when she tried to superimpose the idea of it onto the canvas of reality.

She knew, and she knew she had made her decision.

Rei closed her eyes, letting her head bob above the water. She rested her head on the side of the bathtub, and pretended she was in Sousuke's arms. Her hands moved back up her sides, gently tracing the beginning curves of her hips on the way. Tentatively, shyly, she cupped her own still-developing breasts in her hands, imagining he was the one doing it.

'Renata-chan?'

Rei started, almost sliding back underwater. Her knees banged awkwardly into the side of the bathtub and water sloshed, almost spilling over the side. Just like that, she knew she was bright red.

She breathed deeply, bringing herself back down. _Calm down, _she thought.

'Yes?' she asked, sinking below so that everything except her head and neck was invisible beneath hot soapy water.

'May I come in?' Sousuke laughed from the other side of the door. 'Provided you're decent, of course.'

'Not quite.' Rei paused, wicked thoughts entering her head at what he might be imagining. 'But you can come in.'

The door opened. Rei had to force herself to look him in the face, and even then she couldn't help but remember him half-naked on his bed with Ichimaru. Sousuke smiled his devil's smile, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. He sat on the edge of the bathtub, looking down at her with that curl of hair between his eyes.

'Sousuke-kun,' she greeted him.

His eyebrows lifted slightly at the informal honorific. 'I do hope I haven't made you uncomfortable,' he remarked.

Rei recognised the double meaning there, the same double meaning he'd used in their chess game yesterday. 'Not at all,' she replied coolly, brushing a lock of wet hair out of her face. Her naked body tingled pleasantly at the way his eyes skimmed across the surface of the water, unable to see her. 'Although I was curious as to who Matsumoto Rangiku is. It sounded from what you said last night as if Ichimaru-sama has a soft spot for her.'

Sousuke nodded, that smile never leaving his mouth. 'He does. He tries - somewhat unsuccessfully - to hide it from me.'

'And why would he do that?' Rei enquired.

'Perhaps he's under the impression that I'd do something to the woman he cares about.' Sousuke looked deceptively nonchalant. 'He's flattering himself, really. I don't particularly care. I know, and he knows that I know.'

'So who is she?' Rei pressed.

'Tenth Division's lieutenant. Her captain absolutely despises me.' Sousuke tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear. 'It's understandable, I suppose. I _did _break his childhood friend's heart.'

'Hinamori Momo, I assume.' Rei decided to cut to the chase. 'To what do I owe the honour of this visit, Sousuke-kun?' she asked.

'Is it so hard to believe that I'm here purely on a social visit, my queen?' Sousuke looked amused.

'Well, it's quite a coincidence that you put on that - performance - for me last night, and then chose to pay your "social visit" when I'm naked in the bath,' Rei said, looking directly at him. 'So yes, it is a little hard to believe.'

'That's cruel of you, Renata-chan.' Sousuke's fingers skipped along the edge of the bathtub. 'I assure you, I had no idea that you were in here with no clothes on.' He smiled again, a long slow sultry smile.

'Of course you didn't.' It was a little easier now, knowing that she didn't have to struggle against that smile. Rei had had no idea that finally deciding would make his charm this much more bearable. _I should have done this long ago, _she thought to herself. 'You came here because you thought you'd be able to have me on your bed just like Ichimaru Gin. You think you've won, don't you?'

'Am I wrong, Renata-chan?' Sousuke's smile stayed there, the same smile he'd worn when Ichimaru had been kissing his chest last night.

Rei felt as if she were standing atop a precipice. She'd already decided, but already uncertainty was trying to call her back from the edge.

'What exactly were you trying to achieve?' she asked, changing the direction of the conversation. 'It could have gone horribly wrong. What if I'd believed you were betraying me?'

Sousuke simply looked at her for a moment. 'You knew that I was fully aware that you were watching me. I doubt you would have ever accepted that theory as the truth, with such an obvious hole in it.' Then the sultry smile was back. 'In answer to your other question, Renata-chan, I think you know very well what I was trying to achieve.'

Rei remembered her fingers on her own skin, pretending they were his, and tried to stop herself from blushing. That particular effort failed. 'You'll have to be a little more specific,' she retorted. 'I know how that mind trick works.'

'So it would seem.' Sousuke regarded her again. 'Shall I tell you explicitly, then?' His fingers played in the surface of the water, long and graceful and dangerously close to touching her. 'Put simply -' One fingertip skimmed her naked thigh, and Rei reddened furiously - 'I was showing you how pleasurable an experience it can be.' Sousuke's face had more seriousness in it now, the smile diminished. He removed his hand from the water. 'You need not fear me, or pain, my dear,' he told her. 'And you need not try to hide what you feel, or what you want. I've always taught you otherwise, haven't I?' He laughed.

'After all, I asked you to think of me as your teacher, and yourself as my student. I was merely providing you with a glimpse of the myriad other ways in which I can educate you. And I believe I have achieved that aim.' He stopped there, pausing for a moment before picking up again. 'You dodged my question earlier, Renata-chan. Have I made you lust for me, my queen? I think I have. Am I wrong?' he repeated.

Rei swallowed.

_You can still say no, _her mind urged her, the more cautious part. _Grimmjow's right. If you say no, he won't force you. But if you say yes, there's no turning back. _

'You're not wrong, Sousuke-kun,' she said slowly, studying the self-confident cast his face had to it. 'I've thought about it, and I don't have any reason to say no to you any more. I've decided - to let you.'

'Hmm. That's interesting.' Sousuke's eyes had that gleam in them again. 'You say you've given into me. But I seem to recall you had a reason for refusing me before. May I ask why that reason's suddenly disappeared?'

'I suppose you _did _use Ichimaru to tell me what Kyouka Suigetsu's Shikai was, just like you said.' Rei stressed the word _Shikai, _just a little. 'I owe you something in return.' She paused, wondering for a moment how to phrase it. 'You see,' she said, 'everyone in Las Noches is disposable, aren't they? I know you could make more Espada using the Hougyoku if you wanted to. Ichimaru and Tousen - well, I guess they'd be harder to replace. But you're Aizen Sousuke, after all. You could do it if you needed to.'

He smiled at that.

'You could replace anyone here if you wanted to,' Rei continued. 'I know that what you said about Orihime's power was just hot air. You've told me that already. She's just bait. She can be replaced, Ichimaru and Tousen can be replaced - _I _can be replaced.'

'Go on.'

'The only person here who you can't replace is yourself, Sousuke-kun.' Rei took a deep breath. 'And I couldn't lie to myself. I couldn't think, _no, he'd never replace me. _Because I know you would, if you wanted to. And you're not just irreplaceable to you.' She wasn't sure if she was brave enough to tell him the next part. 'You're irreplaceable to me as well. I love you, but I think you know that already.'

'I see.' Sousuke looked thoughtful. 'You wanted to be sure that there was no way I would be able - or willing - to get rid of you.' His eyes narrowed just a fraction, the smile still on his lips. 'So you think that knowing about Kyouka Suigetsu's power grants you that kind of permanent safety? I have to say, I'm a little disappointed, Renata-chan. You must know that can't be the case.'

'I do know.' Rei swallowed, not sure now whether to tell him or not.

What if she was wrong? It was too late to turn back now. She'd agreed to give herself to him, and made that gamble on the proviso that she'd guessed correctly. Rei thought about everything she knew so far, thought about the dream.

_Took ya long enough ta tell me, didn't it, Aizen-taicho?_

_There's a secret here. _

_He doesn't want anyone in here. Especially not you, sweetheart. _

'I suppose I always wondered in the back of my head what your weakness was,' she went on. 'Most of the time I was quite happy to accept that you were perfect. You're as good as immortal, you're immensely powerful, you could have anyone you wanted - man or woman. You betrayed Soul Society and got away with it, you're king of Hueco Mundo. How could you do all that without a weakness?'

Sousuke was still smiling. 'I have, Renata-chan. You seem to have made an incorrect assumption, and a flawed gambit with it. Sad, I suppose, but it happens to the best of us.'

'No.' Rei looked him in the eyes, saw her darkness there. 'I haven't. I know what your weakness is.'

_There are things in existence that won't submit even to him. _

'Everyone's got an Achilles heel, Sousuke.' Rei dared to say it. 'And yours is that you can't achieve Bankai.'

The smile disappeared. Sousuke's eyes were still narrowed. There was none of that amusement in them now. Rei felt a combination of triumph and fear - triumph that she'd guessed right, and fear of the unknown unreadable look in Sousuke's face.

'When did you figure that out, pray tell?'

'I thought it was as soon as I heard what Ichimaru said, about taking long enough to tell him what your Bankai was.' Rei heard the stammer in her own voice. 'But then I realized it was something I'd suspected for a while. I knew you were once a Gotei 13 captain, and anyone becoming a captain - with the exception of the Kenpachi as Eleventh Division Captain - needs to attain Bankai by forcing their Zanpakutou to submit to them. I always suspected you weren't telling the whole truth when you told me why you left Seireitei, especially after I'd gotten some idea of what your Shikai was.' She paused, feeling as if she was running out of breath. 'You could have left quietly, you could have made the other captains think you were still among them. You could have just made it look like Kuchiki Rukia ran afoul of a Hollow and kidnapped her to Hueco Mundo, and then you would've gotten the Hougyoku. At first I thought it was just something you did for fun - betraying everybody, letting them realise you were stronger than all of them put together all along. But that's too simplistic for you, isn't it?'

Sousuke didn't interrupt her. He was still regarding her with that unreadable face.

'You wouldn't have done something so convoluted without a reason,' Rei went on. 'I worked out then that you didn't just despise your own captain, because getting him kicked out of Soul Society wasn't enough for you. You despised all of them, and why? It was because they could do something you couldn't. And you've had more than a hundred years to learn how.'

'It seems you've learnt quite a lot about me. More than anyone else, perhaps.' That fear surfaced in Rei again, horribly buoyant, with Sousuke's reply. _Shit, _she thought. _He'll kill me. I was right, no one else knows, not even Gin. I've just given him the best reason in the world to get rid of me. _

She made herself stop panicking. 'You're giving me too much credit,' she said. 'It was a lot of guesswork. I can tell when you're lying to me - that was how I first guessed your Shikai was illusion-based, when you lied and said you tricked your captain with a Kidou - but that's _all _I can do. I can't read your mind. All I can make is an educated guess.'

'That's quite a guess.' Sousuke's voice was light again. 'As you've probably figured out by now, Renata-chan, no one else has managed to come to that particular conclusion. Not even Ichimaru.'

'You lied to him too, didn't you?' Rei's voice sounded deceptively calm. 'What did you tell him it was? Did you tell him the same lie you told to the captains at your exam?'

'As far as the Soutaicho knows, my Bankai involves the manipulation of my enemies' emotions. Rage, pain, fear, even love - all of those emotional reactions can be elicited from a few subtle, well-chosen illusions. The first thing a good liar learns is consistency. Naturally, I told Gin the same falsehood.' Sousuke's voice darkened, turning commanding. 'Renata.'

Rei swallowed. It was the first time he'd ever addressed her without the _-chan _endearment. 'Yes, Sousuke?' she replied.

'Give me your hand.'

Rei wanted to say no. She had an awful premonition, one that only grew stronger when she saw Sousuke's fingers resting on Kyouka Suigetsu's hilt.

_I love him, _she thought. _That's not going to change. If he wants to kill me - _

Her heart skipped a beat, then made up for it with several per second.

_- then so be it. _

Rei lifted her hand out of the lukewarm water, and felt Sousuke's fingers curl around her wrist. _My life wouldn't be worth living without him anyway, _she thought, feeling strangely calm although her heart was thudding wildly. _If I die, I want it to be him who kills me. I already belong to him in every other way. _

She closed her eyes, feeling her shoulders rise out of the water as well, and heard the metallic _shiick _as he drew Kyouka Suigetsu.

There was pain, sharp and bright across her fingertips. Rei gasped, and her eyelids flew open.

Blood dripped into the water, leaving scarlet trails like the translucent fins and tail of a fish. She saw the cut across her fingers, shallow but bleeding profusely.

'Allow me to explain to you how Kyouka Suigetsu's Shikai works.' Sousuke's voice was mesmerising. 'Its ability is called Kanzen Saimin, or Complete Hypnosis. I can control all five of my victims' senses.'

Rei gulped.

'Anyone who sees my Shikai being released is immediately vulnerable to Kanzen Saimin, and will sense whatever I want them to sense,' Sousuke continued. 'The only way to see through the illusions I cast is -'

'By touching the blade before you've released it,' Rei cut in, figuring it out.

'Correct.' The smile returned to Sousuke's lips. 'You truly are unique, my dear.' He released her hand, turning away. 'You must be cold. Please, dry yourself.' He exited the bathroom.

Rei stood, releasing the plug from the bath. She towelled herself dry, realizing only once she'd finished that she hadn't brought clothes in.

She wrapped herself in the towel instead. It was oversized on her, easily falling to her knees while covering her body completely. She tied it in a knot at the front. _Damn, _she thought, noticing blotchy red stains where the injured fingers on her left hand had touched the towel.

She left the bathroom, exiting it to see Sousuke sitting on her bed. He beckoned her forward, that arrogant smirk back on his handsome face again.

Rei didn't need to be told twice. She had prepared herself for this, and there was no turning back now.

She stepped forward, straddling his lap. He chuckled, one hand on her bare back, thumbs moving in circles over the damp skin. 'I see I've cut you a little too deep, Renata.' He took her bloodied hand in his right, and he closed his mouth around her index finger. Rei had the sudden feeling that he really was part vampire. He seemed to enjoy the taste, licking along the cuts as if he were sucking off melted chocolate instead of blood. Rei let out a moan at that, rocking her hips forward onto his own. He continued sucking her fingers, just as she'd done to him in the human world, and she could already feel something hard and insistent pressing against the furthest inside of her right thigh. It excited her more than frightened her now.

Rei reached for the knot of the towel with her spare hand, trying to undo it.

His mouth stopped what it was doing, her fingers falling away. Sousuke's hands - those lovely hands which Rei wanted all over her body, _now _- were on her shoulders, firm and insistent.

'I don't know about you, my dear,' he said, 'but I definitely don't wish to rush this.'

Rei remembered herself, and blushed. She _was _only wearing a towel, after all, and suddenly the thought of Sousuke seeing her naked seemed much more confronting than it had before.

'However,' he mused, 'I can see neither of us is willing to wait any longer. Perhaps a compromise is in order.' Sousuke paused, licking a drop of her blood off his lower lip.

'Shall I meet you in my rooms this evening?'

Rei nodded. She wasn't sure if she was capable of speaking. She lifted herself off him, sitting next to him on the bed instead just as he stood.

'I can see we are agreed, then,' he said. He leant down, and Rei tasted blood on his mouth. It was a long, heated kiss, full of desire and the things she'd been imagining in the bathtub.

Sousuke pulled away, walking towards the door. 'Oh, and do be sure to wear something that shows off those exquisite legs of yours,' he said.

The door shut behind him, and Rei couldn't stop herself from sighing in delight. She fell back onto the bed, her mind empty for the moment.

* * *

Ooooooh Aizen you are a sexy bastard (as well as a bit of a pervert with a kinky sexual fetish or three). If Aizen told me he liked my legs, I think I'd collapse on my bed all gaga too.

Wow…I seriously thought for a moment Aizen was going to stab her after she told him she knew he couldn't do Bankai. As saddening as it is to think that Aizen-sama doesn't have a Bankai that is capable of facerolling everyone (i.e. the Zanpakutou equivalent of Charizard, for those of you who have played the "old" Pokémon cards) it would actually explain a lot. Such as the part where he says "I have reached my limit as a Shinigami" right before he Hougyoku-transforms. If he had a Bankai, my feeling is that he would've pulled it out then.

I've always had the sense that Kyouka Suigetsu is female, and that she's a sneaky bitch. It would be just like Aizen's sword to refuse to submit to anything, including Aizen. (After all, a lot of Aizen's powers and general mindfuckery come from Kyouka Suigetsu's Shikai. The way I've written her, I can just see her being all 'fuck you' when he tries to make her go even stronger.) Plus, he _must _have some sort of weakness - as Rei says, everyone's got an Achilles heel, even Aizen. And it would explain why he hated all the captains so much, especially Hitsugaya who achieved Bankai at a really young age. I always thought there had to be more to Aizen's defection than just wanting to take over the world - from my experience, villains have usually got a personal reason for doing what they do asides from the glory and gain side of things. No one's figured out Aizen's personal reason yet, so why not come up with theories? Not being able to Bankai because of Kyouka Suigetsu being just as twisted as he is would, in my opinion, make an excellent Aizen backstory. It can't just be that he has a huge god complex. That'd make him a bit two-dimensional, I think.

Also there's the possibility Kubo can't actually think of a better version of Aizen's Shikai. So he might well make things easy for himself by making Aizen not have a Bankai. And as a writer I think it'd make a great plot twist. (Heh.)

The above are all my justifications/reasons for making Aizen not be able to Bankai in this fanfiction. (aka my Please don't hate me monologue.)

So please don't hate me?


	52. White Queen and Crimson King

There is no lemon in this chapter.

*ducks inside carefully constructed pillow fortress, which manages to shield me from bricks and other thrown projectiles* I know there are people who are going to want to stab me with forks, but please bear with me. This is important to the plot, I swear it. And it's just plain funny.

Szayel and Grimmjow get facerolled by Aizen's awesomeness. Nuff said. (Who needs a Bankai, anyway? Kenpachi seems to be managing fine. Looks to me like the really badass people don't need Bankais. Yet another reason why Ichigo is a huge gimpy bitch. His Bankai is second only to Tousen's for suckiness.)

* * *

Aizen: I HAZ PILLOW FORTRESS!

Me: Um, actually it's _my _pillow fortress.

Aizen: I am king of the pillow fortress. It shall be my new Las Noches.

Me: No.

Aizen: Why not?

Me: I made it, you demented chibi. Therefore I get to make the rules.

Aizen: Firstly, Aizen-sama is not demented. Secondly, screw the rules, I have money. And thirdly, I will permit you to be my new Ichimaru Gin if you surrender control of the pillow fortress.

Me: I'll think on it.

Aizen: You wish. All your pillow fortress are belong to me.

* * *

Sorry about that. The above = reason why I shouldn't be typing at 11pm at night when I'm beginning to get a cold. Damn that pharmacy. And LOL at that customer who was raging because his ibuprofen/codeine was pharmacist only. Hehe, he was so dodgy looking. I could tell he was angry because he couldn't take ten boxes to his drug lab and make dodgy things from it.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 52

White Queen and Crimson King

_

* * *

_

_Broken down, hurt again, _

_It never ends_

_Frightened and trembling…_

_I can't believe that she's still with him. _

**-Façade, Disturbed**

'Get in here.'

Grimmjow stared at the Octava, taken aback. The snarl on Szayel's face looked more than inhuman. It looked like a regression, back to the savagery Grimmjow himself remembered from his lifespan as an Adjuchas. _Kill or be killed, _he thought. _Eat or be eaten. _

He did as Szayel said. 'What's -' Grimmjow started to say, but the Arrancar scientist cut him off with two frighteningly efficient words.

'He knew.'

Grimmjow stared at the other Espada in astonishment, incredulity. 'He can't have,' he said. 'You planted the cameras in his room when -'

'He _knew,_' Szayel repeated. 'Fuck!' The expletive came out in a scream of barely controlled rage. The Octava kicked the wall in fury. The metallic surface dented. 'Aizen knew he was being watched, the entire fucking time we were fucking watching him!'

Grimmjow couldn't speak. All he could do was stare at Szayel in horror as the knowledge finally sunk in.

'We're fucked,' he said, almost in reverence. 'He'll kill us.'

Szayel breathed heavily, obviously forcing himself to remain calm. 'It's not quite that bad,' he said, as if he were telling himself more than Grimmjow. 'All that's obvious is that he was aware of the cameras, and waited until they were about to record something _useful _before he took them offline. I'm reasonably sure he doesn't know for certain who was spying on him.'

Grimmjow wondered that it had taken him this long to ask the obvious question, the one he should have thought of straight away. 'How the hell did Aizen find out?' he demanded. 'Shit, how did _you _find out that Aizen found out?'

'That's _it._' Szayel looked incensed again. 'I don't _know _how he found out.' He said that last part through gritted teeth. Obviously it personally irked him, having to admit to not knowing something. 'He must have known, all along. Unfortunately for us, the first _I _knew of it was when the cameras switched to a prerecorded loop right when Ichimaru went into his bedroom.'

Grimmjow stared at Szayel in astonishment again, actually feeling his jaw drop. He hadn't thought he'd ever be wearing that particular comical double-take expression on his face. Then again, he hadn't thought he'd ever be sitting around with Szayel Aporro Granz trying to destroy Lord Aizen's twisted relationship with a sixteen-year-old human kid. A sixteen-year-old human kid that Grimmjow himself was apparently in love with, no less.

'This is so fucked up,' he muttered to himself.

Szayel was raging again. 'All of them, every single one. All set to a loop! They must have been going at it for _four fucking hours, _because that was how much fucking _loop _I had to sit through!' He fumed, kicking the wall again for good measure and increasing the size of the dent. 'The worst part is that I can't even figure out how or when he did it! Fucking _Aizen _- looked right at the fucking _camera _- and then I sat staring at an empty fucking _room _for _four hours! _And after that - no more fucking video channels!'

Grimmjow had tuned out by now. He slowly slid down against the wall, sitting with his back to it. He stared at the empty greyish floor space between his feet, and was glad to look at something that wasn't white.

He'd heard somewhere that in the human world, white was supposed to symbolize purity and innocence. And here, it was Aizen's chosen colour. Grimmjow felt like laughing out loud. _What a sick joke, _he thought. If Aizen himself had ever been pure and innocent - and imagining that scenario was in itself like imagining a cheerful Ulquiorra - that time was dead and gone now.

The only things pure and innocent in Las Noches were those two human girls, one a physical prisoner, the other locked up in a cage inside her heart. Grimmjow had never been one to feel sympathy for the weak, but even Inoue Orihime stirred that foreign desire to protect in him. It was a desire that had never been present in his Adjuchas self.

Maybe Aizen had created this floundering, weakly swimming thing called a conscience when he'd transformed the Adjuchas Grimmjow with the Hougyoku. That made Grimmjow want to laugh again, at the irony of it. But then again, was it really that ironic?

It would be just like Aizen to give Grimmjow, or any of the others, the ability to feel soft human emotions like love or compassion - only to turn those soft feelings into a whip with which to flay them.

Grimmjow thought himself back to the present. He didn't know if he was really that angry, that Aizen had found out their plan to expose him and Ichimaru Gin and thwarted it. He supposed he'd always expected - or hoped - that something would go wrong with it.

Now Amane wouldn't have to feel any pain, but she was unprotected against Aizen once again.

And that was going to be painful in itself.

'Are you even listening?' Szayel grabbed him by the shoulders. 'He was in her room this morning.'

Grimmjow came crashing back down to reality.

'Shit,' he whispered. 'Is she -'

'There aren't any cameras in her room, idiot. Aizen-sama wouldn't let me put them there,' Szayel snapped.

'You must have seen him when he was coming out!'

Szayel shook his head. 'He didn't _look _as if he'd just violently raped your woman,' he said, sarcasm heavy in his voice. 'For one thing, there wasn't nearly enough gloating there.'

'Figures.' Grimmjow heard the bitterness there when he spoke.

'And for another, Amane-sama herself left about an hour later. She didn't look like she'd been violently raped by Aizen.' Szayel paused. 'She was far too cheerful.'

This Grimmjow hadn't expected. 'Cheerful?' he repeated, momentarily dumbstruck. He was at a loss as to what Amane Rei could possibly have to be happy about.

'I would have thought it was obvious by now.' Szayel's voice attained a superior air. 'Amane-sama seems to be able to do a fairly good job of hiding her emotions. Even so, there's one easy way to tell how she feels on a particular day, and that's through her activities.'

Grimmjow didn't understand.

Szayel sighed. 'You must have been blind for the past two weeks. Whenever she's in a good mood, Amane-sama pays that Orihime girl a visit.'

'Oh.'

'Yes. Do you know what she did today?' Szayel continued, not waiting for a response. 'She was inspecting the inside of Inoue's room and decided that it was almost as nice as hers. So she's decided to keep both rooms for herself, and Orihime's been moved to the floor below. It's basically a broom closet. Ulquiorra-san wasn't exactly pleased with Amane-sama after that.'

'What happened?' Grimmjow asked, curious now.

Szayel snorted. 'He tried to intercede on his prisoner's behalf, of course.' Despite the amused tone in the Octava's voice, Grimmjow knew just how serious this was. He, along with anyone else in Las Noches who could sense changes in reiatsu, had been getting the vibe for a while now that Ulquiorra wasn't particularly fond of Amane Rei - either as Queen of Hueco Mundo or Aizen's new, and thus far most permanent, consort.

This was the first time the Cuatra had done anything to openly challenge Amane Rei's authority.

'He spoke to Aizen-sama, you see. That didn't go down well. He was lucky he didn't end up going the same way as you or Luppi,' Szayel said. 'Of course, Lord Aizen didn't say anything beyond what you'd think of as being mildly annoyed -'

'Yeah. I get it.' Grimmjow knew only too well what Szayel was talking about. He'd been on the receiving end of it often enough.

There was a silence for a while, and then the Arrancar scientist spoke again. 'I told that woman to watch herself,' he said, more serious this time. 'She won't do well for herself, making an enemy of Ulquiorra.'

The door to the reactor room opened.

'I can take care of the Cuatra if necessary.'

Grimmjow stared, trying to find words and failing. All that came out of his mouth was a pathetic attempt at a gasp.

Tia Harribel looked at him impassively. 'You can't be surprised that I'm here,' she commented. 'I did tell you I was going to help.'

Szayel went in a split second from staring in shock at Harribel, just as Grimmjow was, to glaring at Grimmjow. Tia raised an eyebrow. 'You didn't tell Szayel about our conversation, I assume.'

'Oh, no, Grimmjow-san told me he spoke to you, Harribel-sama.' The snarl was half on Szayel's face again. 'However, he neglected to mention that particular detail.'

'I can tell you don't want me involved.' Harribel turned her gaze on Szayel, who immediately fell silent. 'You can't seriously think I'd betray either of you. As far as he's concerned, I'll be acting on my own.'

Grimmjow caught the inflection there, knowing full well who the Tres meant by _he_. 'You mean if you get caught, right?' he asked. 'Doing whatever it is you're going to do.'

'The two of you have one obvious problem.' Harribel was still expressionless. 'You're trying to play Aizen-sama's game, and losing.'

'And what would you suggest?' Szayel's voice was polite, but there was irritation there.

'Neither of you have considered just telling her the truth, have you?' Harribel folded her arms.

Szayel looked disbelieving, and Grimmjow knew he had the same expression on his face.

'You're shitting us, right?' He was hardly aware he was speaking the words. 'Jeez, Tia, I didn't know you were suicidal.'

Harribel's eyes narrowed. Sensing that he'd touched a nerve, Grimmjow backed down. 'Sorry,' he muttered.

'I can see where she's coming from.' Szayel was talking again. 'Think about it, Grimmjow-san. What if someone simply told Amane-sama about everything he's done?'

_Trust you to take Harribel's side, _Grimmjow thought. 'In case you haven't noticed, that hasn't exactly worked so far. Orihime told her, and what did Amane do? Nothing, obviously.' He spat the words. 'She's still sitting up there, having _tea _with the fucker.'

'I think,' Harribel said, her voice more than a little sarcastic, 'that what I have to say to Amane-sama will be _slightly _more convincing than whatever Inoue Orihime had to offer.'

Both male Espada immediately picked up on what she meant. Grimmjow's face burned.

'How do you plan to tell her?' Grimmjow picked up the concern in Szayel's voice. 'You can't just walk up to Amane-sama and -'

'That's exactly what I'm going to do.' Harribel looked at Szayel, her voice level. 'You don't have to tell me that Aizen-sama won't be pleased. I know he has eyes everywhere. This is what I have to say to her, and to him as well. No one was there to say it for me.' She turned, regally almost, and slammed the door behind her.

* * *

You don't f**k with Tia Harribel.

She's seriously badass. I felt so sorry for her, getting pwned by Aizen. Usually whenever Aizen pwns somebody I stand on the sidelines and clap and cheer, but - when it was Harribel I just felt sad. I hope she's not actually dead and Aizen just injured her, but it's looking like she's carked it. It's not like she's reappeared in the series or anything.

1 most touching Espada death/defeat scene.

The one after that would have to be Starrk, followed by Barragan. Normally I don't have a lot of time for Barragan - he's old and ugly and an Aizen try-hard - but that backstory with Aizen taking his throne, and him having always hated Aizen after that - I liked that. It made me like Barragan that little bit more.

In the next chapter:

Rei gets intimate with Aizen's "Bankai." (Me and a friend of mine had this long incredibly stupid conversation about Bleach thingies. Yes, thingies. Including Pesche's thingy, and Ichimaru's extendable thingy, and Ichigo's pitifully small thingy - yes, I went there. When I watched his fight with Byakuya, I snorted out loud. Of course my parents thought I was insane, but then that's nothing out of the ordinary.)


	53. The Mastermind and the Architect

Rewatching Bleach.

It never fails to amaze me how much of an idiot Ichigo is. Every time he appears on the screen I facepalm. I wonder if he was actually dropped on his head at birth. No, wait, Isshin headbutted him at birth. I can see that happening.

Oh, God. Ichigo even says "Behind you!" right before he sneak-attacks Aizen. It makes me sad and ashamed that Aizen's star research subject is such a spectacular amount of fail.

I think we all know what happens in this chapter. Here be sex. Definitely NSFW. So don't read it at work, in front of parents, in front of siblings or in front of people who are likely to shun you for wanting to perv on Aizen-sama.

* * *

Aizen: Such people should die.

Me: Indeed they should. Go, Chibi Aizen. Troll them, my pretty.

Aizen: No, woman. I don't feel like it.

Me: *facepalms* I have a _name, _you know.

Because trolling is what Aizen does best. That, and being awesome, and being incredibly, incredibly sexy. I am so jealous of Rei. Kyouraku is jealous, because Aizen gets all the women.

No, that's wrong. Trolling isn't what Aizen does best. Aizen does EVERYTHING best. And yes, I mean everything.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 53

The Mastermind and the Architect

_

* * *

_

Aghast and tender, indulged in sin

_Embraced by loneliness, legions who grin_

_I blunder into the realms of slumber_

_I collide with the obscure_

_And see the last fraction of light go by. _

**-The Insight and the Catharsis, Dimmu Borgir**

Rei didn't know whether to be excited or nervous. She seemed to be oscillating between extremes of the two emotions at a rate of at least fifty cycles per second.

_I'm going to his room tonight, _she thought, part elated and part sick to her stomach. _No, that's not right. I'm going to his bed. _

She was sitting in the bath again, for the second time that day. She would have to get out soon, she knew.

Rei knew that, but the nervous feeling stopped her. Getting out would mean she was going there, and there really wouldn't be any turning back. But turning back was the last thing she wanted to do. She remembered the few brief, largely one-sided conversations her mother had initiated with her on the topic of sex, and the memories made her smile.

'She'd order me not to do it,' Rei whispered aloud to herself. Almost without thinking, she lifted herself out of the water and bent down to pull out the plug.

As she dried herself off, towelling her hair thoroughly until it was dry, Rei thought it to herself over and over again. Each time it gave her a minuscule thrill.

_I'm giving my body to him. I'm giving my virginity to Aizen Sousuke. _

Her skin tingled. It felt like the tingle was spreading down through muscle, through bone. Rei left the bathroom, naked, and sifted through the pile of neatly folded white clothing Ulquiorra had brought her before Grimmjow had become her caretaker.

She dressed herself in a white silk robe which fell to mid-thigh. Rei wondered briefly whether or not to put anything on underneath, and decided not to. She had no idea what Sousuke's tastes tended towards in _that _department, and surely if he'd had anything he'd wanted her to wear for him he would have given it to her -

She forced herself to stop that train of thought in its tracks.

Rei tied it at the waist, noticing with a mix of self-consciousness and that strange powerful feeling that it was almost transparent. She couldn't possibly walk through Las Noches as she was. Rei found an oversized white cloak, like the one Szayel wore. It was a little bulkier on her, but she knew she was only putting it on for the sake of decency.

After all, anything she put on now was only going to be taken off by Sousuke later.

Rei's face felt very warm. She opened her bedroom door, only to be greeted with the sight of Ichimaru Gin.

'Ichimaru-sama,' she stumbled, quickly checking that the cloak covered everything. 'What did you come to see me for?'

'Ah, Amane-chan, I was just comin' ta check on ya before I went to bed,' Ichimaru replied. Rei thought his grin looked a little less exuberant than usual, and tried to figure out if it was her imagination.

'Ya doin' okay?' he asked her, and Rei started. It was the first time anyone besides Grimmjow - not counting Sousuke - had expressed concern for her wellbeing during her time in Las Noches.

'Yes,' she said, nodding. 'Why wouldn't I be? Oh.' Rei realized. 'Are you talking about the intruders?'

'If ya like.' Ichimaru didn't pause for long after that cryptic reply. 'Who'd ya send after 'em?'

'Three of the Privaron Espada,' Rei replied. 'I really don't think it's necessary to divert the attention of a full Espada to deal with the likes of them.' She added that last part, in case anyone else was listening. She knew that Ichimaru knew about Sousuke using Kurosaki Ichigo as a research subject, but didn't think Sousuke would be likely to make anyone else in his kingdom privy to that information.

Ichimaru tilted his head. ''Kay then,' he said, seemingly indifferent. 'That's all, I guess.'

With that, he leaned forward, embracing her in a hug.

Rei stiffened, unsure of whether or not to return it. _What's going on with him? _she thought to herself.

Had he guessed that she, unlike him, wasn't going off quietly to sleep? Did he know she was going to his Aizen-taicho's rooms?

Did he, like Grimmjow, pity her? Rei supposed he would certainly be in a position to. She'd seen what had passed between Ichimaru and Sousuke. She knew Ichimaru had loved a female Shinigami named Matsumoto Rangiku, maybe still loved her, but had given her up to serve Sousuke - in more ways than one.

Rei returned Ichimaru's hug. She could feel his body underneath his white clothing, thin and almost-adolescent.

Ichimaru let go. 'Night, Amane-chan,' he grinned, light-hearted again, and disappeared in a Shunpo.

Rei stood still for a moment, staring at the spot where he'd been. Then she kept walking, shivering a little under her cloak.

_I guess he didn't really love her, _she thought to herself. _He wouldn't have left her and betrayed the other Shinigami if he did. _

Then again, maybe Ichimaru _had_ loved Matsumoto. It was possible that he'd just loved Sousuke more.

Rei let out an involuntary sigh. She couldn't help it, and she supposed Ichimaru hadn't been able to either. Sousuke was everything. She didn't understand how anyone was capable of hating him, even the Shinigami he'd betrayed.

He was a master at anything he cared enough to turn his hand to, he was flawless in every possible way, and he could run mental rings around almost anybody.

He was the most beautiful person in existence.

And he was going to make love to her tonight.

Rei smiled dreamily to herself despite the palpitations that thought induced. She couldn't imagine what it would be like, only that it would be the most enduring experience of her life.

After all, he was a master of anything and everything. That had to include lovemaking.

Rei made it to his room unaccosted, and paused at the door. She was almost afraid to open it. Then she told herself to stop being silly. It was Sousuke, and she'd already given herself to him in almost every way possible. All she had to do now was finalise the last, most trivial aspect of the deal.

Rei pushed at the door, discovering that it was unlocked. _Of course, _she thought. _He's expecting me. _She smiled to herself at that, and entered.

A ripple of music greeted her. It was his piano, and she followed the sound. As soon as Rei saw him, she struggled with coherent thought.

Sousuke was leaning against the piano with his back to it, one hand trailing across the keys almost lazily. His white outfit was open down to his navel, and Rei sighed out loud. She couldn't quite believe it, that she was going to have the privilege of joining her body with his. He was _perfect, _and she was -

Appealing, he'd said.

'Renata,' he greeted her. Rei walked towards him, feeling as if she were caught in a mirage. Her eyes wandered over his body, the shadow and light playing over the shapes of the muscles beneath his skin. She wanted to reach out and touch him and make sure he was real.

Surely she couldn't be deserving of what was in front of her. Maybe he was an illusion. Maybe what had passed between them in the bathroom this morning had been an illusion too. Maybe he'd only made her _think _she was immune to Kyouka Suigetsu, and even now she was lying in bed hallucinating all of this.

Rei didn't believe that theory, not for a second. There was no way her mind was capable of conjuring up Aizen Sousuke as he was now, with that sharp wit of his dancing in his eyes in time with the flickering of the candle flame behind him.

She sat on the edge of the piano itself. 'What are you playing?' she asked.

Sousuke turned to face her, leaning forward so that his face was almost touching hers. 'Something I composed some time ago, during my time in Seireitei,' he answered. 'Does it please you?'

Rei nodded, feeling like a shy sixteen-year-old again. 'It's lovely,' she said, wondering if he'd realise she was talking about more than the music.

Sousuke seemed to. He smiled, and Rei chose that moment to let the heavy cloak fall away from her shoulders.

Sousuke didn't pause in his playing, but Rei saw the approval in his eyes. 'Lovely indeed,' he said, leaning forward to touch his mouth to hers.

The kiss didn't last nearly as long as Rei would have liked it to. She heard Sousuke's chuckle as he pulled away. He was teasing her, just as he'd teased Ichimaru.

The look in his eyes changed from laughing to serious. His right hand, the hand that wasn't dancing across the piano keys, traced the shape of her face. His fingers travelled down the side of her throat, pressing gently on the pulse of her jugular vein. Rei wondered if he was thinking about her blood again, wanting to taste it. The idea made her shiver, but not in an unpleasant way.

He took in the outline of her shoulder with his hand, moving down her arm. Rei wanted to ask what he was going to do, but somehow felt that it would be irreverent to speak.

Of course it would. She was in the presence of a god.

Rei felt as though she were being transformed, transmuted even. She was lead becoming gold, his hand on her skin through the thin silk making her into something more than what she was.

She felt like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, because that was always how his influence on her had been. She belonged to Sousuke because he, and only he, had given her the opportunity to embrace her true self.

Sousuke kissed her again, and Rei could feel it. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. Feeling the warmth of his lips, the slight touch of his tongue against her teeth, that knowledge that she was wanted by a god, awakened it in her.

What _it _was Rei couldn't exactly say. It was excitement and desire and love and lust all together, but something more as well.

When he stopped the kiss she felt light-headed. It felt natural to lie down, her cheek against the smooth reflective surface of the piano. It was cool against her skin, but did little to calm her pulse.

The music in her ears seemed like a waterfall almost, a cascade of notes. Rei couldn't think clearly, and she didn't want to. She wanted to lose herself in him, and she wanted to do it now.

'Do you really like how I look?' she asked.

Sousuke's smile returned. 'How could I not?' His voice was light, charmed, amused. 'It's very picturesque.' He curled a strand of her hair around a finger. 'The firelight from behind makes you appear almost ethereal. It's a shame I'm not artistically inclined.'

Rei snorted. 'So the fact that I'm almost naked has nothing to do with it?'

'Not entirely.' Both his hands were away from the piano now. Sousuke tangled a hand in her hair, loose around her shoulders, and drew her mouth to his. Rei moaned into him.

His tongue moved inside her open mouth, confident and arrogant and sublime. Then he broke off for the third time, and Rei tried to remember how to breathe. 'Do you want more of me, my queen?' His eyes gleamed wickedly, and she knew it wasn't just the candlelight making them that way.

Rei avoided the question. 'You're being unusually considerate about all this,' she observed as he stood, letting the top half of the mostly undone shihakusho fall away from his body. 'It's not like you.'

Sousuke laughed. 'I'm offended,' he said, walking in a half-circle so that he was positioned to the left of the piano. Rei sighed with relief as he finally lowered himself down onto her, the weight of him making the warmth between her legs grow stronger. 'Surely you can't think I'd be so rude as to rush your first time with me, Renata.'

Rei tried to think of some witty reply, but couldn't. It was just as well, because Sousuke chose then to pick up where he'd left off.

His tongue was just as deftly skilled as his fingers had been, producing that rippling flow of music. He seemed to know exactly how to make her groan and gasp and dig her fingers into his bare back.

His hands were busy too, doing everything Rei had imagined and more. Sousuke's right hand was on the back of her left thigh, raising her leg and positioning it so that it was half-wrapped around his lower back. His left hand -

Rei couldn't stop the noise escaping her lips, into his mouth. Those long fingers of his were exploring the skin beneath the hollow at the base of her throat, dancing a line down between her breasts.

He was teasing her, and that made Rei arch her hips upwards in frustration. She was determined not to beg for him, though. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction, as much as she wanted it hard and fast and _now. _

'Growing impatient, are we?' he murmured.

Rei was suddenly free to speak, her mouth unoccupied. Sousuke was kissing her throat, teeth no longer just grazing her skin but lightly nipping at it. It felt as if at any moment he would bite her, really bite. He would taste her blood like red wine with that skilled tongue of his, tasting and devouring and feeding on her.

'You know the answer to that question.' Rei was surprised she was capable of speech. 'And I'm not the only one who's impatient.'

He stopped, looking down at her and imprisoning her with his arms and shoulders. Rei couldn't have escaped even if she'd wanted to. The half-smile on his face, the strand of hair which he never swept back hanging down to brush her own parted lips -

_He wants me as much as I want him. _

Sousuke's left hand was being much less well-behaved now. His beautiful fingers were stroking her breast through the silk. All the while, the lustful mischievous look in his eyes was fixed on Rei's face.

'Hmm. I suppose you're right.' His hand slipped inside the front of her robe, eliciting yet another gasp. Rei heard his husky laughter. His thumb was brushing lightly over her nipple, and she couldn't suppress the long starved moan that came out.

Her hands started roaming of their own accord, down the lovely arch of his neck. Rei's fingers sought out Sousuke's nipples, coaxing them into hardness as he was doing to her. Rei was rewarded with a sound of pleasure, Sousuke pushing his hips harder against her own.

She looked down along their partially clothed bodies, noticing with a slight shiver that her right breast was completely exposed. Sousuke noticed her noticing, and chuckled. Wordlessly, he bent his head down again. He kissed her neck where he'd left off, moving down to trace the shape of her collarbone with the tip of his tongue. Rei didn't bother trying to control her erratic breathing. The heat of his mouth closed around her nipple, and she could feel the motions of his tongue -

'God - Sousuke - oh God -'

Looking down at him doing it added a kind of dark voyeuristic pleasure to the sensation. Rei bucked her hips, feeling unbearably warm and tense between her legs. It ached and burned with wanting, for what she wasn't quite sure.

Even if she didn't know, apparently Sousuke did. His right hand moved away from her chest to rest on her knee, not remaining there for long before sliding down her thigh. Rei felt the intrusion of his fingers down there, in the most private of personal spaces where even she had never quite dared to touch herself -

'You're aroused, my dear,' he murmured. 'I'm pleased. It's extremely gratifying, feeling how much you want me.'

And with that, his fingertips began giving her body exactly what Rei had wanted to give it in the bath that morning, but hadn't known how to. She lost all semblance of control over her reactions then.

She let out a short whimpering cry, which broke off sharply as Sousuke pressed his mouth to her breast again. There was something harder and harsher about his kissing now. Rei could feel his teeth more and more, and felt hot bright pain as those teeth broke skin.

In a twisted way, the pain fed into the pleasure his right hand was giving her. Rei cried out again. In a brief glance down she could see scarlet blood welling up already, feel him hungrily licking it away. In contrast to what his mouth was doing, his fingers were surprisingly gentle, moving in long gradual thrusts in and out of her.

She didn't want gentleness. She wanted -

'Sousuke -'

'Yes, my dear?' His voice was as courteous as ever. 'Is something wrong?' Sousuke laughed at that. 'Because this delightful body of yours begs to differ.'

She wasn't going to beg. She refused to beg.

'God - just do it,' Rei gasped, hearing the need in her voice.

'It? I'm confused as to what you might be referring, Renata.' Sousuke raised his head, her blood bright on his lips. He smiled, hungry and predatory, the smile of a feeding vampire. 'You'll have to be a little more specific than that.'

Even now, with her body pleading for release, Rei's tongue stilled. She couldn't think of how to say it.

Then she stopped thinking, and her body's wants took over.

'F - fuck me.' The words came out in a broken whisper.

Sousuke raised an eyebrow, looking reproving. 'That I most certainly cannot do.' Then the smirk appeared again, his tongue licking the blood away from his lips. 'What I intend to do,' he said, voice dark with lust, 'is to make love to you, my queen, until the only thing you know how to say is my name.' His fingers continued slipping into her, Rei letting out little cries and gasps of mixed pleasure and frustration.

'However,' he continued, 'doing that here will prove uncomfortable for both of us. Shall we move -' Sousuke paused, 'to the bedroom?'

Rei could only nod. Sousuke's hand stopped what it was doing, and he made a noise of amusement at her disappointed sigh. He lifted her effortlessly into his arms, her face pressed against his sculpted god's chest, her legs wrapped firmly around his waist. He carried her away from the flickering candlelight, the cool reflective surface of the piano. When they entered the darkened room, it took Rei's eyes a moment to adjust. Much to her surprise, Sousuke laid her carefully on the wide white bed, almost reverently. Then she saw the wickedness in his eyes, and that filled her with desire and pleasure and excitement and no nervousness at all.

Rei had known all along that his lovemaking, the loss of her virginity, would be anything but gentle. That was, after all, why she loved him.

* * *

Aizen Sousuke = God of Sex. And no, there hasn't actually been any sex yet, just foreplay. (Biting would totally be his thing.) I lied.

*ducks inside pillow fortress again* Please don't kill me. The sex is coming, I swear. It's just bloody Aizen making it hard to write again. He has to be amazing and awesome at everything, especially in bed. And no matter how many times I write it in my head it just doesn't do him justice.

* * *

Me: WHY MUST YOU BE SO PERFECT?

Aizen: You're just jealous.

Me: *chases him around the pillow fortress with a fork* I swear I will stab you in the face if you don't stop being a fucking prima donna.

Aizen: *Shunpos away from me* Your efforts to intimidate me are so amusing. They are almost as amusing as that Kurosaki boy's pitiful Bankai.

Me: You can talk. You don't even have a bloody Bankai.

Aizen: *grins* Yes, I do. That reviewer was correct about the location of my Bankai. *evil bitch grins* Would you like to see it?

Me: No, no, I'll just take your word for it that it's there.

Aizen: Don't lie. I know you think about me naked. I live inside your brain, woman. Trying to lie to me is futile.

Me: Then you should know that I have a name, and know what it is! *unsuccessfully chases him with the fork*

* * *

Forking. Lol.

Typing late at night again. Add to that the fact that chibi Aizen and I have had too much caffeine and you get the above altercation.

In case you didn't pick it up, the title of this chapter refers to Jungian personality types. Aizen's closest match is the Rational Mastermind, in my opinion (no surprises there). I based Rei's character mostly off of me. Scary thought, isn't it? And my closest match is the Rational Architect. Hence chapter title, as well as a subtle Inception reference. Damn, maybe I should retitle this update "What I Was Daydreaming About Instead Of Paying Attention in Lectures This Semester." Damn you Aizen and your sexiness. Hurry up and exist in real life and marry me already.


	54. Halo

Episode 300 - this confuses me. Urahara and Isshin and Yoruichi, all fighting Aizen? It's almost hard to root for him. Those three are pretty damn amazing, especially Yoruichi and her 'Sex Appeal' plan. That was a holy-shit-awesome episode.

I really shouldn't need to tell you guys after the ending of the last chapter, but anyway:

Lemon Warning.

Here be sexy Aizen action. Also known as How Sex Should Be In Real Life. If only, if only. Blah blah blah, don't read this if you're a child and don't read it in front of innocents, etc.

* * *

Aizen: It took you long enough to get this far.

Me: Shut up. Just because it took me 54 chapters for my two main characters to finally have sex doesn't mean I'm a bad writer.

Aizen: It means you have deprived me of sex for 54 chapters. Clearly this is out-of-character for Aizen-sama.

Me: WTF, dude? You and Gin did it in chapter 50.

Aizen: Fine. 50 chapters, then. That doesn't make it any more acceptable.

Me: Shut up and quit complaining. You're getting laid.

Aizen: Silence, woman, or I shall unleash the wrath of my sexually deprived Bankai on you.

Me: Please don't.

* * *

Well, there's some more foreplay, and then the sex. Come on, Aizen might be evil as sin, but he's a gentleman. He isn't going to rush it. And there's a reason for everyone he's slept with thinking he's amazing in bed.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 54

Halo

_

* * *

Plundering the sanity from the insane,_

_And providing appearances in black;_

_Carefully swept in decadent spheres_

_But faces in this world always remain darkened. _

…

_For I know the secrets and lies_

_Behind all truths_

_Knowledge is power, and the power is mine_

_It's all mine. _

**-The Insight and the Catharsis, Dimmu Borgir**

Aizen smiled to himself as he undressed his queen.

It wasn't long before she was completely naked in front of him, lying on his bed. The dim grey moon of Hueco Mundo seemed more bluish tonight, illuminating her subtly. He could see the lines of her ribs, the peaks of her hipbones. Renata's hair fell long and dark over her shoulders, obscuring the small pert breasts he'd so admired in the human world. Aizen remedied that when he lowered himself onto the bed next to her, sweeping the tangled curls away.

'Please tell me you had the cameras removed before I came here.' Her erratic breathing had steadied a little.

'Of course,' Aizen replied lightly. 'I'd hardly give the likes of Szayel and Grimmjow the privilege of seeing this.' He ran a hand down her side, gratified at the slight gasp he induced.

She would be the youngest he had ever bedded, younger even than Gin had been during their first time together. Aizen recalled it, his teenaged lieutenant's pained and lustful gasps, the way Ichimaru's eyelids had opened as the younger Shinigami finally came.

Renata's body was so wonderfully sensitive to his ministrations, her responses so wonderfully vocal. Aizen slid his hand down the inside of her thigh, entering her with his fingers again, smiling for a second time. 'Shall I educate you in the many ways a man can pleasure a woman, my dear?' he asked her.

'Oh _God - _yes.' Her hips jerked upwards, and Aizen took the opportunity to roll on top of her.

He kept his right hand between her legs, kissing her neck. The pulse in the fragile jugular vein beneath his lips proved too much temptation. Aizen's teeth caught her skin, and he tasted blood.

He wondered briefly if it was Renata's young, still-developing body that gave her blood that slight sweet taste behind the usual metallic saltiness. Renata let out a moan.

Did she have a masochistic streak in her, or did she enjoy the pain because he was the one inflicting it? Aizen suspected it was the latter. After all, Renata was like him. And Aizen himself had always been inclined towards sadism rather than masochism.

Her small hands were on his back, eventually coming up between them to run over his chest. She was gradually becoming less cautious. Her fingers were running over every inch of bare skin they could find, grasping at him with childlike hunger.

Aizen decided to be obliging. He let himself react physically to Renata's attentions, letting her know what pleased him. He knew he would want a repeat performance of this long-awaited night, and he intended to make his queen into a capable lover.

Her fingertips circled his nipples again, experimenting, pushing gently. Aizen allowed his eyes to close, and a gasp to escape his lips into her neck. He hadn't expected to become quite so aroused quite so quickly. She was pleasing him more than sufficiently. Aizen knew she had been correct.

Renata certainly wasn't the only one who was growing impatient.

The fingers of his right hand retreated, moving down her thigh to clasp her knee again. Renata's eyes fluttered open. 'You're teasing me,' she accused, a tremor in her voice.

'On the contrary.' Aizen lowered his head, brushing the tip of his nose against her collarbone. 'You've demonstrated remarkable proficiency at this, my dear. What I'm doing now is rewarding you for your progress.'

He kissed down her breasts, pausing to marvel at them again. They seemed to fit perfectly into the palms of his hands, as though she'd been made for him. Aizen regretted momentarily choosing not to light the bedroom. He kissed each nipple lightly, briefly, unable to admire the colour of them, deep delicate strawberry pink.

He kissed her stomach, ribs, hipbones. He licked her navel, feeling her squirm. Aizen could tell she wanted to ask what he was doing, and wondered how long it would take her to remember what she'd seen Gin do.

Parting her legs with his hands, he paused for a moment to press his mouth against her right thigh, kissing down the side of it. That was enough of a delay, Aizen decided.

Moving his head between her legs, he traced with his tongue what he had stroked with his fingers just moments before. Renata let out another cry, and Aizen's hands went to her hips, pressing them down against the bed.

It was rare that he ever bestowed this pleasure on a partner. Aizen wondered if Renata knew just how privileged she was. Of course, she would be returning the favour at some point in the future. The thought made him pause for long enough to smile.

'Sousuke - I'm -'

Aizen allowed himself to look down the length of her body. Renata's lips were parted, eyes looking down at him. Her pupils were dilated, cheeks dark in the dim light of the bedroom.

He could scent musky female arousal, taste her on his lips and tongue. She was close to orgasm, and Aizen knew then that it was time.

He stood, moving away from the bed, and Renata sat up. Even through the thick haze of desire on her features, she looked confused. 'What -'

'This,' Aizen told her, 'is your reward.'

His hands moved to the sash of his pants at his waist, letting them fall to the floor. Aizen couldn't stop the smile, a wolfish smile, spreading across his face as her eyes widened.

He heard the gasp of wonder, saw her lift herself off the bed to stand in front of him. They were both naked now. Aizen resisted the urge to run his eyes over her body, instead watching her studying him.

She still had the eyes of a wolf. Renata's gaze wandered over his chest, arms, shoulders. Then Aizen saw her look below his navel and blush, virginal even now. Clearly the male sex was a mystery to her. Nevertheless, the look in her eyes was curiosity rather than fear, desire rather than alarm. She finished her inspection, a longing stare at his legs.

'You're _beautiful.' _It escaped her in a sigh.

Aizen said nothing in reply. He waited for her to continue, the smile still on his lips.

'Lord Aizen,' she said, looking up at him. She stepped forward, tracing a hand over his face, down his throat and chest. Aizen made no move to stop her going further. 'Sousuke.' Her fingers moved along his hipbones, hesitating. Aizen wondered for a moment if she was going to shyly ask permission, as many other women had before her.

Wordlessly, Renata's left hand curled around his erection, fingertips exploring. She leaned into him, breathing warm against his earlobe. 'Make love to me.' It was a demand, not a request. That came as no surprise, really.

Aizen knew what she was like.

'As you wish, my queen,' he replied. With one swift moment, he had caught Renata under the thighs, lifting her so that her legs were around his waist. Aizen captured her mouth, his kiss hungry and bruising.

She was his equal in all ways save one. The chess game had been the most accurate representation of it. Aizen and Renata were locked in unending stalemate, neither capable of forcing the other to submit. He had been planning strategy after strategy in a similar war over two hundred years, his opponent his Zanpakutou.

This, the most trivial of ways, showed the only aspect of Renata that would ever be submissive to him. Even then, Aizen knew that was more due to inexperience than anything else. Unlike Ichimaru Gin, Amane Renata would never be content to always play the role of uke.

But Aizen intended to thoroughly enjoy her submitting to him while it lasted.

He pushed her down onto the bed, positioning his hips. Renata seemed to know what was coming, and closed her eyes as if to tense herself. She had probably heard that the first time wasn't without pain.

Aizen slid into her.

He saw the flinch, her eyes opening. Aizen expected her to tell him it hurt, to ask him to stop.

Then a smile spread across her lips, eyes fluttering shut. 'Mmm…again.'

Aizen made both of them wait before he thrust into her a second time, a little deeper. 'Beg for me,' he ordered.

Renata laughed huskily. 'I'll never beg you to do anything, Sousuke. Not even this.'

'Is that so?' Aizen jerked his hips back, body overtaking hers in another thrust. He felt her groan of desire and frustration, her fingernails biting into his back. 'I know what you want,' he whispered in her ear, taunting and tempting. 'I can feel how much you want me. All you have to do is plead for mercy, my dear. It's really very simple.'

'I won't -' Renata gasped as Aizen pushed in again harder. Instead of increasing the pace, as he did whenever Gin finally gave in and begged for his seme to fuck him senseless, Aizen kept the thrusts long and slow and irregular. He could feel his own frustration building up, but was compensated by the dark gratification sexual dominance always gave him.

Her cries gradually turned into whimpers of lust again. Renata even tried to take the lead, pushing her hips upwards against his in an attempt to give herself release. Aizen stopped that in its tracks, his legs pinning down her own. He knew it wouldn't be long now, and he was proven correct.

'Sousuke…'

'Yes?' he inquired, pausing.

'D - don't stop,' she whispered, and Aizen could hear the plea in her voice.

'I'm afraid that's not good enough.' He moved his hips backwards, as if to pull out of her entirely.

'Please.' The word escaped her unwillingly.

'Hmm. I think not. Once more, with feeling, my dear.'

Renata bucked her hips, an expression of frustrated agony on her face. 'Please,' she panted. 'Please - harder. Faster.'

Aizen had no desire to tease her - or himself - any longer. He gave her what she wanted, his hips making short, sharp motions. He thrust deeper and harder into her every time he moved, letting out the occasional noise himself. The animalistic pleasure of it was overtaking him.

Renata's muscles contracted around him. She let out a long shuddering gasp, eyes bright with ecstasy, her orgasm growing dangerously close to triggering Aizen's own.

The thought of pulling out of her now, hard and unfinished, displeased him to say the least. Fortunately, Renata's sound of deep pleasure turned into another groan. 'Sousuke - more - _please -_'

And Aizen obliged her. He gave into his own consuming lust, going harder even than he did with Gin. She came a second time, letting out that same sharp cry, and Aizen held himself back with difficulty.

Then, on the third, he came with her. That brief moment of mental absence, senses heightened with unbearable pleasure, seemed to last a fraction longer than it usually did. Aizen buried his face in Renata's hair, feeling dominance and her submission to him all over again.

She lay under him, limp and exhausted, occasionally letting out a short puff of breath into his shoulder. Finally, she spoke. 'So this was what I was refusing to give in to.'

Aizen chuckled. 'Indeed. Did I exceed your expectations, my queen?'

Renata's hands were brushing his hair away from his face. 'I never had any expectations to begin with,' she said. 'I didn't see the point in forming something which would be so easily shattered.'

Aizen looked down at her, saw her eyes shining no longer with pleasure, but intelligence. 'What about your expectations for me? Was I good at it?' she asked.

'You,' Aizen told her, 'pleased me thoroughly.' He pulled himself out of her, rolling onto his side. Something about his queen, young and physically fragile and still flushed with the exertion of lovemaking, made him draw her into his chest. 'I assume you wish to sleep here tonight.'

'So you'll want to do it again.' Renata ignored his last words. She had tucked her head underneath his chin, murmuring into his neck.

Aizen waited a while before answering. 'Once is hardly a means of education, Renata,' he reprimanded her. 'I would be a poor teacher indeed if I gave you only a first lesson. Besides that -' He paused. 'I enjoyed tonight far too much not to repeat it.'

She let out a pleased sigh at that. Aizen felt it as she drifted off to sleep, deciding to permit himself that luxury as well.

No, this was unlike his stalemate with Kyouka Suigetsu. This stalemate was dynamic rather than static, a harmony rather than a discord.

His earlier analogy had been correct. This was a dance, not a war.

* * *

I keep reading and rereading over this. I'm still not sure if it's good enough for Aizen, even though there are plenty of fangasm moments in there.

My absolute favourite moment was when Aizen undid his pants and basically said 'You now have permission to worship my manliness.' That made me smile. And join in the worship.

It's funny, because I always imagine Aizen as being selfish in bed. (But I'd still enjoy it.) And I think I might have done the impossible, and made Aizen be a (semi) considerate lover.

MIGHT. This is up for debate. I absolutely refuse to humanise Aizen in any way, shape, or form. I like him because he is a complete bastard, and is completely unapologetic about it. Like Hitsugaya raging at him, the whole 'You're a horrible person' spiel everyone keeps giving him - Aizen's response is always, without fail, 'Yes….and? I know this. Foolish people. Your only talent is pointing out the obvious. Oh, and you're just jealous.' It's just so awesome. Aizen is living proof that being an arsehole pays off.

People are probably going to question me writing Rei losing her virginity from Aizen's point of view. There are a couple of reasons I chose to do it this way. The first, and most trivial reason, is that I totally can't picture Aizen's orgasm face. My mental image of him is always that slightly amused, raised eyebrow, completely cool sexy evil villain who's never lost control in his life. It's like when the anime shows him looking surprised. It's so irreconcilable with how I perceive him that I just kind of stare blankly at the screen for a few minutes, wondering who this guy with the bitch curl is and what he's done with Aizen-sama.

The second reason, the important one - well, I can't really give it away here. Although if you've been watching Aizen's thoughts in this story very, very carefully, you might be able to guess what it is. The only two words I'm willing to give away at this point are character development.

I really hope this is better than good. Chibi Aizen is uncharacteristically silent in my head, and I don't know if this is a good or bad sign. Anyway, I'll leave you alone with this chapter and (hopefully) your nosebleeds. I'm off to bed. I have work tomorrow, and I would like to be on time for once.


	55. The Missing Heart of Las Noches

Featuring…the return of Aizen's glasses! As well as another one of Aizen's sex fetishes. Aizen's sex fetishes…just what I need first thing in the morning, along with my coffee of doom.

I don't know what it is. I mean, I was extremely happy when he first ditched the glasses, because he looked so utterly hot without them. But then, the way the animators drew him in the Turn Back the Pendulum arc…he looked absolutely gorgeous, especially when he was trolling Shinji. I wanted to run my fingers through his hair and do R-rated things to beautiful Aizen-fukutaicho. (I took about a million screen captures of him in those episodes. Yes, I am freaky and Aizen-obsessed.) And as a glasses-wearer myself, I know they can be very sexy if the right person is wearing them. (I wore my glasses to my Year 12 formal, but that was just because I was too lazy to get contacts. I don't have anything like Aizen-sama's level of sexiness.)

You know you're a sad Aizen fangirl when you want to buy one of the Bleach art books because it has ONE picture of him on the last page. Apart from that, I wouldn't bother. It's full of Ichigo, and Ichigo pisses me off.

Oh, and Obvious Warning is Obvious - this chapter contains the following:

Lemon. (DUH.) Oh, and roleplaying. And not the kind that involves dice. And Rei's meeting with Harribel!

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 55

The Missing Heart of Las Noches

_

* * *

I relinquish to your powers_

_From your grasp I just can't hide_

_Missed the danger_

_I had to conquer_

_You make me feel alive. _

_They say I have to be aware_

_That one day you won't let me go_

_(I'll drown, you'll take me down)_

_I need you, Aquarius_

_Enchanted, I will have to stay. _

**-Aquarius, Within Temptation**

Rei's eyes opened, and she stretched. Every muscle in her body felt strained. Almost immediately she felt bruising soreness between her legs, and deep inside her as well.

She had slept with him.

She had slept with Aizen Sousuke, and it had been utterly, indescribably, blissfully wonderful.

Rei remembered with a mixture of amusement and scorn what her mother had had to say about sex. Amane Julia had said on more than one occasion that Rei's heart condition was a blessing in disguise, keeping her away from the attentions of boys and men. She had said that sex was something shameful and dirty when done outside of marriage.

Rei was glad Sousuke had proved her mother a liar. Although that wasn't entirely correct. She and Sousuke hadn't done anything as common, or mundane, as have sex.

Her Lord Aizen had made love to her, lovemaking that was as perfect and exquisite and beautiful as he was. He had taken her to heaven and back.

No, that was wrong. Even lying here, sleepy and more than a little tired from the night before, she still felt as if she were floating on a cloud in heaven.

Rei could still feel the aftermath of it. She felt sore and achy, and very tender between her legs, and she could see the raised red bite mark on her right breast near her nipple. She saw the stark darkness of a blood spot on the sheets next to her thigh, and realised her virginity was well and truly gone.

_You…pleased me thoroughly._

The memory, along with the thought that _she, _Amane Rei, had managed to please someone much older and many times more experienced than her in bed, gave her a thrill of delight.

The sheets still carried the warmth of his body where he'd been lying next to her.

Where _was _he, exactly?

Rei started, fully awake, only realising later that she could see light coming out from underneath the bathroom door adjoining to his bedroom. She could feel his reiatsu too, the strength and power of it encompassing her own even through the door. That made her stretch like a cat, sighing as she did it.

There was something restricting her left arm. Rei looked down, and blinked. It was an armband with a wooden badge on it, some sort of insignia. It took her a few moments to recognise the kanji, the lily-of-the-valley carved just below it.

'The Gotei 13. The Fifth Division,' she whispered to herself.

Rei was confused, to say the least. Then the bathroom door opened, and a tingle of heat went through her. Rei sat up against the pillow, the sheets falling away from her body. She was expecting to see her Sousuke, perhaps - hopefully - naked again with that sharp dancing smile on his face.

What she saw was the man with glasses, the dead man in her dream, very much alive. Rei started, seeing the almost-apologetic look on his kind schoolteacher's face, pulling the bed sheets over herself hurriedly. Then she looked closer, catching the familiarity in his face.

The eyes flashed behind the square-framed spectacles, dancing in amusement. The man smiled. He was obviously about to shower. The lower half of his body was covered with a white towel wrapped around his waist, starting just below his hipbones and ending just above his knees.

Sousuke's legs were just as Rei remembered them, long and muscular. She sighed in appreciation, her body forgetting its soreness.

'Good morning, my dear.' Sousuke laughed, probably at the way Rei knew she was undressing him with her eyes. 'Did you sleep well?'

'Yes, thank you,' she replied.

'Aren't you going to ask me about the badge on your arm, Renata?' Sousuke leaned against the frame of the bathroom door, hair haloed from behind. 'I'm sure you're curious as to what it is.'

Rei raised her left arm. 'I know what it is,' she said. 'It's the lieutenant's insignia for the Fifth Division of the Gotei 13. Your old division.' She narrowed her eyes at him. 'But I'm hardly your subordinate.'

'Hardly.' Sousuke raised an eyebrow. 'And I can assure you that I am hardly in need of glasses. In fact, I have perfect vision. This -' he gestured to his drastically changed appearance - 'is how I chose to appear during my time as a Gotei captain.'

'Interesting,' Rei noted. 'But a little out of left field.'

The wicked smile appeared on his face. It should have been incongruous beneath the glasses and deceptively kindly expression. Instead, it excited Rei, the face of a wolf in sheep's clothing - _her _wolf in sheep's clothing.

'I decided that we would spend this morning furthering your education, my dear.' Rei looked down, noticing that the sheets had fallen away from her again, and felt heat shiver through her at the look on his face. 'I will admit I am being slightly selfish, in beginning with this - shall we call it an indulgence? - of mine.' Sousuke smirked. The glasses did nothing to conceal the sharp hungry look in his eyes, and there was certainly nothing innocent about the way he licked his lips as he looked over her body. 'May I ask that you call me Aizen-taicho from this point forward?'

Rei smiled, stepping out of bed. She was standing across the room from him, completely naked except the lieutenant's insignia on her arm. 'As long as at some point,' she said, returning his smirk, 'you let me be the charming little seme again.'

'But of course, my dear. It would be my pleasure.' Sousuke extended an arm, beckoning her forward with the dark smile still on his face. 'Now - I have need of my lieutenant. Will you attend me in the bathroom?'

Rei bowed, watching his eyes linger on her legs. 'Yes, Aizen-taicho,' she replied, in the lowered, demure voice she imagined Hinamori Momo would have used. She heard his chuckle as she followed him into the lit room, felt him press her against the cool white wall almost instantly. The air was clouded with steam, the shower running hot less than a metre away from them.

Sousuke paused for a moment to look down at her, eyes no less beautiful through his glasses. He smiled that kindly smile, then his mouth was on hers. He was kissing her hard, tongue dominating hers into submission, and Rei gave way to him. Her knees weakened, and she was grateful he was holding her there by the shoulders. She knew she was trembling at the knowledge of what was coming. It was anticipation and longing and the barest hint of nervousness, all rolled into one.

Sousuke stopped the kiss. 'You seem alarmed, Amane-fukutaicho. Did I startle you?'

Rei caught her breath. 'Captain,' she murmured, letting a little hesitancy creep into her voice. 'I - don't think this is appropriate.'

Sousuke kissed her forehead, almost tenderly. 'Oh, Amane-chan. I know I don't frighten you.' Rei could hear the seme in his voice, the dark sense of dominance, and shivered with anticipation. 'I know very well that you don't mean - or want - to push me away.'

Rei licked her lower lip, watching his eyes move to her mouth and feeling her own perverse sense of domination with it. 'When did you know?' she asked, fabricating fear this time. 'Will you have me thrown out of your division?'

'I've always known. You've made it very obvious, Amane-fukutaicho. And you are very much correct.' Sousuke moved his head down, breathing against her neck. 'Desiring your captain is definitely not appropriate for a seated officer.'

'What are you going to do to me?'

'I think you know very well what I'm going to do to you.' Sousuke laughed, the hand on her right shoulder moving down her body. His fingers were between her legs again, moving slowly at first. Rei let out a long, loud, pleased groan. 'I've never done this before, Aizen-taicho,' she gasped, hearing him laugh again at that. 'Will it h-hurt?'

'As much as you want it to, Amane-chan.' Sousuke's mouth, warm and harsh and bruising, was kissing her throat now. Rei could feel the tip of his tongue, tracing the unsaid profanities in her mouth on the surface of her easily broken skin.

_Fuck me, _she thought, feeling the dark thrill that accompanied the words. _Fuck me, Aizen-taicho. _

Rei wondered with brief amusement whether Hinamori Momo, who by all accounts had adored her superior, had ever thought those same words. Then all thought, and amusement with it, was gone. His fingers moved in and out of her, and Rei felt herself growing hot and aroused. She arched her back against the wall, wanting him inside her already.

Sousuke was kissing her breasts, moving from one to the other and then back again. His silver tongue danced over her skin, licking over her collarbone and then her left nipple. He kept teasing her with his fingers, making Rei jerk her hips forward and cry out. 'Aizen-taicho -'

'I think that's enough waiting, don't you?' Sousuke laughed. He lifted her, pressing her to his chest again, glasses misted up with the steam in the room. The muscles in Rei's body no longer felt tired but instead alive and tingling with anticipation, need even. Her face was buried in his bare shoulder, and she kissed it, daring to nip the skin with her teeth.

Sousuke stepped into the shower, under the stream of hot water, the towel still around his waist. He set her down, kissing her only briefly before speaking again. 'Undress your captain,' he told her.

Rei took the opportunity to tease him, trailing her fingers down the wet skin of his chest. She marvelled again at his beauty, wondered how his lieutenant had been able to resist throwing herself at him. As her fingertips explored the muscles in his abdomen, circling his navel, she felt momentarily undeserving. Even in his captain's disguise, he was a god. But then she saw the impatient desire in his face and eyes, heard the huskiness in his voice when he spoke.

'Amane-fukutaicho. I gave you an order.'

Rei didn't hesitate obeying any longer. The towel offered little resistance to her hands. It fell away, and she took in Sousuke's nakedness with her eyes.

Rei could remember seeing him undressed for the first time, feeling herself flush with shyness and wonder. He had looked almost mythical, silhouetted in moonlight, not quite real.

Rivulets of water trickled down his hipbones, down the inside of his thighs. Again, Rei stared with innate curiosity at his sex. She ran her fingers along his length, closing her hand around him, wondering how he had ever managed to fit inside her. His skin felt hot, the same aroused heat currently residing between her own legs.

She looked up, seeing the slow amused smile on Sousuke's handsome face. Looking directly at him, Rei licked her lips, gliding her left hand in one long swift motion along his cock. She saw him shudder, saw his eyes flash in impatience behind the water running over his glasses.

With that, he pressed her up against the wall, hands moving her legs either side of his waist. Hot water ran over Rei's back and hips, and she felt Sousuke push hard into her.

She cried out, in equal parts pain and pleasure. Even the pain wasn't a discomfort to her. Rei liked that he didn't feel the need to be gentle. She liked knowing that he was letting himself go, loved knowing that she had made him lose that last semblance of control. Sousuke pressed his mouth to hers in another one of those harsh demanding kisses. Rei knew that this time would be harder and swifter than her first, more intense.

She whimpered when he let her mouth go. 'Captain -'

Sousuke's dark laughter felt as if it were echoing, above and below her.

His darkness and her darkness were merging with one another. Rei let out a series of short screams as he made love to her in the shower. If it was possible, his lovemaking was even better this way than it had been the night before. Rei felt less passive in this position. She wrapped her arms around his back, one of them knotting itself in his damp hair, and anchored her thighs onto his hips. She thrust forward onto him and felt him breathe out, matching her thrust with another harder one of his own.

Her face was pressed into his neck then, and she almost forgot how to breathe. For her, who had always feared drowning above anything else, it was a miracle. Rei wanted to drown in Sousuke. As she finally came, and felt him join her, his entire body tensing with the pleasure and ecstasy of it, Rei thought that she would have been quite happy to end her life there and then.

Then she remembered that if she stopped living, she would be unable to have him in any way at all. There was no way Aizen Sousuke could exist in the afterlife in any place that wasn't heaven, and Rei sensed she wasn't likely to end up there after she died.

Rei looked up at him and giggled. The glasses were slipping down his nose, the lenses so misted up it would have been impossible for him to see through them anyway. Sousuke set her on her feet, pulling the glasses off his face and throwing them onto the bathroom floor. He smiled then, wet hair still hanging in his eyes. That made Rei want him all over again.

She unfastened her lieutenant's insignia with difficulty, letting it fall next to his glasses. Her hand skimmed his forehead, waiting for him to grant permission. Sousuke nodded and Rei pushed his hair back, that one strand falling into place to the left of his nose.

'You did that rather well, my dear,' he told her, lifting her into his arms. 'I must say, you - got into character - far more than Gin has ever been inclined to do.'

'I'm not sure whether to take that as a compliment or not. I _was _playing your subordinate,' Rei responded wryly as he set her on the bed. 'That was your old insignia, wasn't it?'

'Yes. And it was Gin's after me.' Sousuke lay down next to her. Rei couldn't stop herself from kissing him, just once and lightly, on the lips. Even _beautiful _seemed like the wrong word for him now. He really did look like a god, naked next to her with droplets of water still frosting his hair and the bridge of his nose.

Rei thought then - suddenly and incongruously - of Amane Julia, and heard herself giggle again.

'Do I amuse you, Renata?' he asked her.

Rei shook her head. 'I was just thinking -' It seemed almost too funny to tell him then. 'About what my mother would say if she could see me now.'

Sousuke's laugh was as musical as his piano piece had been the night before. 'Tell me. What would your mother say?'

Rei smiled. 'She'd scream, first of all. She'd probably call me a slut for sleeping with you. And then she'd go into hysterics.'

'It astonishes me,' Sousuke said, brushing a strand of wet hair off her shoulder, 'that this woman conceived you, when she was clearly more intellectually challenged than even Kurosaki Ichigo.' He smirked. 'I take it your mother would disapprove of what I plan to spend the rest of the day doing to her daughter.'

Heat slowly flushed through Rei at that. 'Well, that depends,' she said. 'What are you planning to do to me?'

Sousuke chuckled, rolling on top of her. 'As I said before, I think you know very well what I'm going to do to you.'

Rei lay back on the bed and gave into him. Even when they made love, Sousuke's wit never abandoned him, and Rei could always find a response for anything he said to her. She wondered if it had been the same with all his partners, and then rejected the notion.

She knew she was unique to him now. That was what allowed her to lie in his arms, all her body's secrets exposed to him, letting him do anything and everything he wanted.

After all, his wants matched hers.

By the time she finally left his room, Rei had no concept of how much time had passed. She wondered for a moment how long it would take her to adjust to normal time again, and laughed quietly to herself.

She could smell him in her hair, on her skin, _in _her. Rei walked at a leisurely pace back to her room, the thought that she had lost her virginity several times over never losing its novelty.

She imagined who it would have been if she'd never met Sousuke, if it ever would have happened before she was in her thirties. No, she'd known she was eventually going to end up at university when she was old enough. Rei could imagine herself growing bored of life enough to go out and do something stupid, to end up in the stained sheets of some cheap hotel room bed with an equally cheap clumsy student.

Whoever it was definitely wouldn't have had Sousuke's skill, his perfect body, his knowledge of what would please and frustrate her. Rei sighed. He had, after all, had over two centuries to perfect his prowess in bed.

She turned a corner, leaning to the side a little, and winced. She could feel the soreness more if she walked a certain way. In its own way, that pleased her. Sousuke had marked her body in an invisible place, claiming her as his.

Rei blushed, jerked out of her reverie by the sight of a figure in white standing not too far away from her.

The blonde woman bowed, her words muffled by the white uniform covering her nose and mouth. 'Amane-dono. I need to speak to you.'

Rei pulled her cloak more tightly about herself. 'Harribel-san,' she greeted the Third Espada, feeling more than a little self-conscious. 'I'm very sorry, but now isn't really a good time. Can I see you later?'

Whatever response she'd expected, it wasn't the one she got.

'Are you on your way to Aizen-sama?' Harribel's tone was blunt, her green eyes startlingly forward.

Rei shook her head. 'No,' she said truthfully. 'Why do you ask?'

'Come closer, Amane-dono. There's something I have to show you.' Rei hesitated before complying. Harribel raised a hand to her face, unzipping the uniform she wore. For a moment, Rei expected some sort of horrible deformity. Then she saw the mask obscuring part of the Arrancar woman's jaw, and relaxed.

'Do you see?' Harribel asked her. Rei realised she was pointing at a long, pale line on her throat. Looking closer, she realised it was a scar.

That was surprising. 'But - your Hierro,' Rei said, poising it as a question. Ichimaru had explained that to her, even though he hadn't described each Espada's powers individually.

'He is strong.'

Harribel's green eyes bored into her, and Rei felt unusually slow. There was something she was missing.

'I could have healed myself with the limited regeneration powers I had after Aizen-sama made me into an Espada. It was only a shallow cut for me, even though it would have severely injured a human.' Harribel's voice was toneless. 'He did not allow me to.'

Rei realised, with a start, what the Tres Espada was talking about.

Harribel continued speaking. 'Has he asked you already, Amane-dono? To - what do you humans call it - to have sexual intercourse with him?'

Rei felt herself reddening violently. She didn't know how to say it, didn't know what to do to get herself out of this horribly awkward situation.

'He did it to me. He was -' Harribel paused. 'Not gentle.' She looked away from Rei then.

_It's as awful for her, standing there and telling me this, as it is for me to hear it, _Rei thought. She understood what Harribel was trying to do, knew the risk the Arrancar woman was running, and for the first time since arriving in Las Noches, she felt pity.

'I'm very sorry,' she repeated. 'I know you're trying to help me, I do. And I appreciate it. But -'

'It's too late,' Harribel finished, expressionless again. 'You've given yourself to Aizen-sama.'

Rei nodded. 'It didn't hurt at all,' she lied. 'He was very careful with me. He was very - considerate. I think he wanted me to enjoy it.'

That part, at least, wasn't a lie.

Harribel bowed, but Rei saw her eyes. There was something like desperation in them. 'Then that - is what's important.' Her voice was low. 'Even so - you must realize you can no longer say no to him.'

With that, Rei's pity began to fade away. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a male silhouette, a crown of blue hair. Grimmjow was watching. It wasn't too hard to guess what he stood to gain from all of this, and that made her angry more than anything.

'You all think I'm stupid, don't you?' she burst out, forgetting herself. 'You think that it's only a matter of time before your Aizen-sama decides to throw me away. As far as you're concerned, my feelings are just bloody-minded stubbornness.'

Harribel didn't react to her explosion, which Rei knew hadn't just been directed at the Tres Espada. 'No, Amane-dono.' She sounded almost gentle. 'You are our leader. To us, you are anything but stupid. That's why we seek to protect you.' She turned away. 'Goodnight, Queen of Las Noches.' She disappeared in a Sonido, and Rei looked back to where she thought she'd seen Grimmjow.

He was gone.

* * *

O_O

Methinks Grimmjow is going to rage. Oh, wait, I found chibi Aizen!

* * *

Me: Where have you been for the past few days? You disappeared without a word after I finished chapter 54.

Aizen: *is silent*

Me: Aren't you going to say something?

Aizen: *hugs me*

Me: Hey, get off! I know what happens when you hug people! I don't want to go the same way as Momo!

Aizen: CHAPTER 54.…IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL! WAAAAAH!

Me: *tentatively hugs Aizen*

* * *

Now I need to rewatch Bleach like mad, because of what I'm planning to write. And soon I'm going to encroach on manga-only territory, meaning I'm going to need to spoil things for myself. (Gah.)

* * *

Me: As much as I like the fact that you found the chapter so amazing…you can let go now.

Aizen: You are the best mind-slave ever!

Me: But my name isn't Steve…

Aizen: Silence, woman.

Me: So you're back to your old self again.

Aizen: Indeed I am. All Rei's virginity are belong to me.

Me: *facepalms*


	56. The Sacrifice

Ohhhhhh yeah.

Episode 301. That was just plain awesome.

Especially the part where Aizen's speaking to Ichigo as he leaves for Soul Society. I wonder if I was the only person who took 'You will be devoured once this is over' to mean 'In my new world order, you are going to be my sex slave.' Join the club, Ichigo. They have jackets.

His second Hougyoku form…I'd hit that. Repeatedly. (Apparently so would Ichigo…lolz.) This will be reflected in a future chapter of this fanfiction (Nosebleeds to look forward to :D). Plus I have to say I can't wait to see how his 'Butterfly' form gets animated…

This chapter is dedicated to making sure nobody starts liking Aizen too much (Infernal Blossom…I lol at the fact that I am making you like Aizen even a little bit, in light of reading your fanfic). I figured everyone might have forgotten how much of a bastard he can be after the most recent chapters, so here we go. Someone gets traumatised. And it shouldn't be too hard to guess who.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 56

The Sacrifice

_

* * *

Seek her_

_Seduce her_

_Tame her;_

_Blame her_

_Have her_

_Kill her. _

_Feast on it all. _

**-Master Passion Greed, Nightwish**

Szayel knew what was coming.

He could read the look on Tia Harribel's - his idol's - face easily enough, and knew what was coming even before she started speaking.

Almost reassuringly, he felt a complete absence of emotion. All the initial anger he'd felt was gone. He supposed he'd always known it would be futile, to go up against Lord Aizen and expect - or even hope - to win. Aizen truly was a master of puppets, and Harribel had been correct.

He and Grimmjow had tried to play Aizen's game, of which he was the undisputed master. Szayel had always prided himself on his intellect, but compared to the Lord of Hueco Mundo -

He had once been vain enough to speculate as to whether Aizen had created him in his image. Szayel knew now, although he disliked admitting it, that he could study and research all he liked in an attempt to mentally surpass his lord and master. It would be as futile and laughable as a child skimming his fingers in the surface of a pond, attempting to catch the moon's reflection in the palm of his hand.

Even as Harribel's story came out, Szayel didn't feel any of the impotent rage he had before when their earlier plan to expose Aizen and Ichimaru to Amane had failed.

It was over now. It was regrettable that he hadn't gotten his revenge. But Szayel had always known in the back of his head that that wasn't going to happen, even if he hadn't been keen to admit it.

At least they had been defeated early. They hadn't gotten deep enough to make retribution from Aizen an inevitability. They could give up now, and suffer no losses for it.

Harribel's eyes were downcast. Szayel felt almost guilty at his sense of relief. He glanced to his side, at the Sexta Espada, who had been silent ever since his return with Harribel. Szayel remembered feeling the uncomfortable sensation of an impending storm, thunderheads heavy and almost visible in the air, and had to force himself to look.

What he saw - and felt - made him afraid for his life. Grimmjow's face was utterly devoid of expression, but that wasn't what alarmed Szayel. Far from it, in fact.

What was truly terrifying was the sudden absence of the other Arrancar's reiatsu. It was as if all Grimmjow's spiritual energy had momentarily disappeared into him.

Then it released.

It was, momentarily, like standing in close proximity to Lord Aizen whenever he decided to direct his displeasure at one of the Espada. The breath was knocked out of Szayel. He gasped for air, doubled over. Even Harribel, who was the strongest of the three of them, looked taken aback.

The immense pressure subsided. Grimmjow's eyes were wide, his hands open and shaking instead of closed tightly into fists as they usually did whenever he was angry. Szayel could tell that this was more than anger. He recognised this, knew it because he'd felt it himself.

What was happening in front of him was the breaking of a heart.

'_Bastard!_'

Grimmjow screamed the word. His bellow was jagged and coarse and sounded dangerously close to insanity. The noise was tens of thousands of times worse than nails down a blackboard. It stopped being a word and emerged out the other side as a haggard shriek of despair.

For perhaps the first time in his life, Szayel felt like an intruder. Maybe it was because he knew the nature of this grief, even though he'd never expressed it so openly or violently. He had let it do its damage on the inside, through countless dissected test subjects.

Reiatsu flared and burned. He would be lucky if he didn't end up with missing eyebrows again. That thought crossed Szayel's mind idly before disappearing in the maelstrom again.

The scream died away. Grimmjow gasped, breathing in sharply. 'That - fucking - bastard.' Each word came out harsh and sharp and broken. It was like the Sexta was exhaling pieces of shattered glass rather than talking.

'Grimmjow.' There was a subtle warning in Harribel's voice. 'I understand. But you need to get a hold of yourself.'

'No,' the Sexta breathed. 'No.'

'Grimmjow!' Harribel sounded urgent now, begging almost. 'Don't try and fight Lord Aizen.'

It was almost funny, in a way, standing there and watching the Third pleading with the Sixth. Szayel was as far from laughing as he could possibly get. He could feel it flaring up in him too.

Of course, that was something he'd always despised humanity and other lesser beings for. There seemed to be a preconception that life was supposed to be fair, a flawed assumption if Szayel had ever heard one. He had always sneered at that sense that there was supposed to be justice in the world. It had been the chief reason that Tousen Kaname had always subtly irritated him.

Now, though, Szayel could sympathize with the dark-skinned Shinigami. He could feel Grimmjow's outrage as a dark reflection in himself. It was the sense that something had been stolen from him, perhaps from all the Espada, something which they had a right to.

It wasn't fair.

But everyone in Las Noches knew that Lord Aizen definitely didn't play by anything remotely resembling a fair set of rules.

'I'll kill him,' Grimmjow grated. 'Crush his fucking neck in my hands, _fuck _it!' He swept an arm through the air of Szayel's laboratory, sending glassware crashing to the ground like his broken heart.

'You can't hope to win against him. Don't be a fool.' Harribel was trying to reason with him now. Szayel knew she wasn't going to win at that game. 'It's not so bad. You heard what Amane-sama said. She wasn't hurt.'

Szayel heard the intake of breath, heard the hesitation before she said the next part. 'She went to him willingly. Aizen-sama didn't force her. Not like - me.'

'_Fuck_.'

Szayel understood.

With that final sentence, Harribel had made it worse for Grimmjow, not better. Grimmjow adored Amane, loved her even. Szayel tried to imagine how it would have been if Harribel had been like Amane and gone willingly to Aizen Sousuke's bed. He knew the sense of something pure being tainted by the inevitability of Aizen, and knew it would have been infinitely worse if Harribel had desired that tainting.

'He's _playing _with her! That's just a face. Just another fucking _face._' Grimmjow spat. 'He cares about her one minute, then ten seconds later he's forcing her into things she doesn't want to do. He mindfucked her into fucking him, damn it!' He kicked a piece of broken glass and bellowed again. 'Bastard!'

'She wasn't hurt,' Harribel repeated. 'That's what's important.'

Szayel knew he should be on Harribel's side, knew he should be trying to dissuade Grimmjow from the course of action he could guess the Sexta was going to take. He wasn't, though.

Was he living vicariously through the Sexta? Szayel supposed that was what he'd been doing all along, even when he'd first agreed to help Grimmjow thwart Aizen's intentions for the girl. He'd wanted to do for Amane what he'd never been able to do for Tia.

What he hadn't had the courage - or the stupidity - to do for Tia. To do the unthinkable and stand up to Aizen, to force the almighty Lord of Hueco Mundo to acknowledge his actions, would require an absence of fear.

And ironically, the only person in Hueco Mundo who was fearless was Aizen Sousuke.

'Fuck it all.' Grimmjow moved towards the door. 'I'm going to find him.'

Szayel realised, with a shock, that the Sexta wasn't talking about Lord Aizen.

'Kurosaki?' he asked. Szayel could feel the clashing of reiatsu now that Grimmjow's had subsided. He realised who the orange-haired Shinigami's opponent was - that overwhelming pressure was hard to mistake, even through the fog of Tia's and Grimmjow's.

'You realize he's fighting -'

'Obviously. I'm not stupid.' Grimmjow paused at the door. 'And I'm going to teach Ulquiorra not to go after my prey.'

He left the laboratory, and Szayel met Harribel's eyes. He knew, and he could tell that she knew, exactly what the Sexta's intentions were.

They would almost certainly be the last ones to see Grimmjow Jaggerjack alive.

* * *

I don't know if anyone else felt the same way, but - in light of Aizen revealing that all Ichigo's fights were part of his plan, and Ichigo was actually progressively fighting people who were matched in strength to him…I thought the part where Ulquiorra blows that massive Cero hole in Ichigo's chest and almost kills him was a little bit random.

I didn't really get why he did it, apart from the obvious (overzealously "obeying" Aizen-sama). I mean, Ichigo nearly died. And if Grimmjow hadn't been all "fuck you guys" and rescued Orihime and got her to heal Ichigo, he probably _would _have died. Sure, you can argue that the following was all planned by Aizen. But that just seemed a teeny tiny bit far-fetched to me. (Even knowing our Aizen-sama's awesome planning skills.)

So I decided to make a reason for it. Lol cliffhangers. Please don't murder me. I know this chapter's been a while coming and isn't all that long. Blame my parents for confiscating my computer. (Apparently it's making me antisocial. Jeez, you'd think actually paying them MONEY for the privilege of living with them would guarantee the safety of my stuff from confiscation, but…apparently not. I really need to move out. Goodbye, $200 a week of disposable income. I'm going to sorely miss you.)

I did try to make like Aizen and sneakily pinch it back (i.e. copying his Hougyoku-obtaining strategy), but let's just say I'm not quite as awesome as him at stealing stuff. (And let's face it, who is?)

Anyway, bye.


	57. Disenchanted

Watched the first episode of Blood+.

I'd already planned to do this, but…Aizen is totally going to have a vampire fetish now. I can just picture him sucking Rei's blood…not that he hasn't done that already. That scene in Blood+, where Hagi kisses Saya, and the drop of blood…that was very sexy. So I immediately pictured it with Aizen (and I totally DIDN'T picture myself as Saya - cough), and got a nosebleed. I am totally going to draw that. It's all part of Aizen's plan to rule the world through inducing massive blood loss.

Speaking of blood loss…the cover of manga number 48. Aizen's evil smile…and his hair…and that sexy second Hougyoku form…let's just say I want one for Christmas. Except naked, covered in melted chocolate and in my bed. Damn you Rei, you got to see him naked. Kudos to the Hougyoku for making Aizen-sama even sexier than he already was.

I am so fucking jealous. And rest assured - after seeing that evil smile, I don't think it's going to be possible for me to write Aizen as being sexually submissive.

And be warned, there is limey-ness near the end of this chapter. And Aizen being a bastard. But that's same old, same old.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 57

Disenchanted

_

* * *

_

How I drape my face

_With my bare hands;_

_The same that brought me here_

_But you were beyond all help_

_The folded message that wept my name._

…

_You are beyond all help_

_Dancing into the void_

_We are almost there. _

**-Advent, Opeth**

Aizen was mildly displeased.

Of course, it wasn't exactly the first time one of his Espada had chosen to defy him. The obvious example was Grimmjow, and more recently, Tia Harribel.

Her insubordination in particular would not go unpunished.

Aizen's eyes moved down to his queen, seated next to him on the couch in front of the screen. That schoolgirl pose - hands folded in her lap, eyes cast demurely downwards - had disappeared entirely.

Renata was leaning against him, her head tucked into his shoulder, dark hair falling across the slight curves of her body. To anyone else, the situation would have appeared innocent, affectionate even. Only Aizen knew that his hand was resting on the girl's inner thigh just above her knee, that they'd made love again only two hours before. Her hair had fallen over her nakedness, her delightfully responsive adolescent body, as Aizen had undressed her. The way she was letting the tangled curtain of it drape across her breasts and hips through her dress now had been designed to provoke him, to inspire memory and desire. And even through his annoyance at Ulquiorra Schiffer, it was succeeding.

'Both of us have made it very publicly clear that we don't want full Espada fighting the intruders,' Renata commented. 'I wonder if this is because of that Orihime girl? Does he feel the need to protect her from Kurosaki that strongly?'

Aizen waited a moment before replying. 'I do suspect that's part of it.' Her eyes met his, light and silver-grey and questioning. 'Although,' he continued, 'I doubt Ulquiorra would be so easily moved.'

'There's another reason,' Renata agreed. 'All the Espada are well aware that I'm supposed to be leading the attacks against the intruders. Ulquiorra's trying to throw a spanner in the works.' She stopped, biting her lower lip as if deep in thought.

'He's openly defying me, isn't he?' The question had a rhetorical inflection to it, but Aizen answered anyway.

'Indeed he is. How do you intend to respond?' he asked. 'If I know the queen of Hueco Mundo, she certainly won't show any clemency towards such rudeness from her subordinates.'

Renata smiled. 'On the contrary, Sousuke. This changes nothing.'

'Oh?' Aizen raised an eyebrow, looking down at the girl. 'How so?'

'Yes. Let's just say - this doesn't affect my original plans for Ulquiorra.' Her smile widened. 'Not in the slightest.'

Aizen understood immediately. 'I see.' He left the curiosity in his voice, waiting for her to explain. He knew she would.

Those hundred years spent waiting in Seireitei, waiting to unmask his true self, waiting to reveal his Kyouka Suigetsu's power - those hundred years had been the closest anything had come to being the end of him. Aizen couldn't deny the compulsion to tell them all, to rejoice in the betrayal of such a company of fools, had come almost as close. He had made himself endure those hundred years without telling a soul. It was one of the reasons Aizen had first allowed Gin's initial physical attraction to his captain to blossom. In those early years, Gin had been his only means to a release from the charade, both physical and mental.

Renata was like him. She could no more resist the opportunity to reveal a _coup de gr__â__ce_, even a future one, than Aizen himself could.

'You haven't guessed already?' Renata leaned further into him, speaking into his neck.

'I'm going to have him killed, of course,' she breathed.

Her lips touching his throat and her body curving against his had nothing to do with the erection suddenly pressing insistently at the seam of his loose white pants, just below the sash at his waist.

'Tell me,' Aizen murmured. 'How do you plan to execute Ulquiorra?'

'Mmm…' Renata was kissing a line underneath his ear. 'I take it you have no objections to the idea.'

'None at all, my dear.' Aizen pulled her into his lap. 'I'm rather disappointed that any creation of mine can show such slavish devotion to anyone as insipid as Inoue Orihime. For that alone, Ulquiorra Schiffer is deserving of whatever fate your nasty mind dreams up for him.'

Renata laughed. 'People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, Sousuke.' She returned to his neck, moving further up to his ear. Aizen felt her warm open mouth close around his earlobe.

'Perhaps,' he acknowledged. 'But you've failed to answer my question. Obviously you wouldn't be so foolish as to attempt to duel my Cuatra Espada and win.'

Renata stopped what she was doing. 'Obviously. And I don't intend to kill him myself, of course. Why would I do that when I have subordinates who are perfectly capable of doing it for me?'

'Ah. And who, might I ask, is your instrument of choice?' Aizen could hazard a guess as to who it might be. A released Yammy Riyulga would definitely be capable of dealing a death blow to Ulquiorra even in his Segunda Etapa - which the Fourth Espada so laughably believed Aizen didn't know about. Subtly pushing the Cero Espada into doing it would be more than easy.

'Let's see, shall we?' Renata slid her hips against his, and Aizen heard the throaty chuckle as she noticed his state of arousal. 'I need someone strong enough to kill the Fourth,' she whispered to him. 'It has to be someone who's stupid enough to do whatever I want him to do without realizing that I'm making him do it. And most importantly, it has to be someone I can push into attacking Ulquiorra.' She stopped there.

'Did you know Szayel-san was kind enough to let me watch through all the videorecordings he's taken from the human world? I know Kurosaki and Ulquiorra have met before. I can grasp the fundamentals of their relationship enough to know that once Kurosaki realizes Ulquiorra was the one who physically brought his ditzy little girlfriendhere, he'll stop at nothing to fight him.' Renata began unfastening his shihakusho, opening it and trailing her fingers down his chest. 'That's how he solves all his problems, by bashing them with his sword until they fall over on the ground. And I was watching the recording with you. I know already that Ulquiorra told Kurosaki straight away how precious Princess Orihime found her way to Las Noches. After that - well, everything happened exactly as I wanted it to.'

'Oh, well done, my queen.' Aizen smiled as she worked her way down his chest, kissing his collarbone and then finding his nipples. She kissed and licked them, tracing his navel with a finger as she did it. 'So your childish torment of my prisoner actually had a purpose. You were goading Ulquiorra into doing something to displease you.'

'And the obvious course of action was interfering with my plans to deal with the Shinigami intruders,' Renata finished for him. 'I assumed, of course, that he'd attempt to attack the strongest. Which would be Kurosaki Ichigo, despite his lack of anything remotely resembling an intellect.'

Her fingers closed around his erection through his pants, much less childish and inexperienced now.

'I do, however, have a question for you,' Aizen replied. 'What if your plan goes awry? What if it's my research subject who dies in that fight?' He paused. 'I'll hardly be pleased with you.'

'I should think that if Kurosaki Ichigo is so easily defeated by a mere Cuatra Espada - and not even a Vasto Lorde at that - then he's not worthy of being your research subject.' Renata laughed. 'But I wouldn't want to displease my Lord Aizen.' She stroked his arousal, meeting his lips with another hot open-mouthed kiss. 'I'm sure the princess would be more than happy to return your experiment to its original state,' she whispered into him.

'You would do well not to displease me,' Aizen murmured back, beginning to loosen the neck of her dress.

Renata sighed as his hands skimmed her collarbones, cupping her exposed breasts, fingertips teasing her nipples until they peaked against his palms. 'I don't plan to,' she said. 'I know I'm not _that_ irreplaceable.'

Aizen teased her with his hands, his mouth, his body, and most of all his words. Eventually her physical responses to him got the better of her. It wasn't long before Renata was naked on top of him, near incoherent with desire as his fingers moved warm and slippery between her legs.

His assumption about her had been correct. Directly killing anyone wasn't part of his protégée's _modus operandi, _so to speak, just as it had never been part of Aizen's.

He intended to ensure, however, that she didn't grow too clever for her own good. She was encroaching on his territory, and that displeased him, regardless of what she'd said earlier.

Capable of interfering with his plans she could well be, but Aizen knew she needed a reminder of who was the stronger. He admired her mental agility, equal to his own, but he didn't intend to let that interfere with his intentions for Kurosaki Ichigo.

Renata had admitted that she loved him, but that wasn't quite enough. Aizen had been a master of his game well before she had been born, even before her parents and grandparents had been conceived.

If she intruded any further, she would get her reminder.

* * *

Rei is beginning to frighten me. I think I know how Kubo felt when he first created Aizen. She's started doing things all on her own, without any intervention from me. I mean, I thought her shameless bullying of Orihime was just her doing it for funsies. And I thought Ulquiorra's reaction to it was just that - an emotional reaction that she didn't predict.

But it turns out it was all part of her plan. And she did that all by herself. Without me.

I wonder if Kubo ever looks at everything Aizen does and thinks to himself, "Oh God I've created a fictional monster who defies all the laws of Anime Physics." (It's true. Check the Uncyclopedia page for the Laws of Anime Physics. The one person to whom the Laws of Anime Physics do not apply is listed as our Aizen Sousuke.)

I've done the same thing. And I thought I knew how this story was going to end…looks like it's going to end however Rei feels like ending it.

* * *

Aizen: Don't worry, woman. If she gets out of line, your handsome sexy Aizen-sama will be the one to take her down a peg. *brandishes whip*

Me: Okay, I was worried about Rei, but now…I'm worried _for _her. Just what do you plan on doing with that whip?

Aizen: *evil bitch grins* Use your imagination. You were the one who wanted me to have kinky sex fetishes. And I told you…I'm always the seme.

Me: Okay, okay, I get it, you're always the seme. *backs away slowly*

* * *

I read this AiGin fic where Gin did something Aizen didn't like, and well…there was a whip involved. Man, Aizen was a sadistic bastard in that one. It was a good story and everything, but…there were times when I couldn't help but feel sorry for Gin.

Anyways, I'll leave you with your suspense and your heavy household objects that you're hopefully not planning on throwing at me. I still have the pillow fortress just in case.


	58. Dream of Drowning

At the end of episode 302...I lol'd. Don't worry, Keigo, you don't have to deny it. We're all in love with Aizen. (I sense some deeply disturbing fanfiction being written as a result of that episode preview.)

Although I have to admit it was nice seeing Keigo actually having some serious feelings for once.

Oh, and GUESS WHAT: I had a guy offer to cosplay Aizen for me.

That made me so happy. I think I might have to put in a huge amount of effort and cosplay Gin. If you want to know just _how _much effort I'm going to have to go to, try picturing a short-sighted Rangiku Matsumoto cosplaying Gin. (I'm pretty much a carbon copy of Rangiku, except I have glasses.)

Or I could cosplay Rangiku and we could be my favourite crack pairing. That'd be pretty awesome. But I don't know…I like AiGin so much…

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 58

Dream of Drowning

_

* * *

_

_There's only you and every day I need more_

_If you want me_

_Come and find me_

_(I'm here)_

_I'll do anything you say, just tell me_

…

_I'll believe_

_All your lies_

_Just pretend you love me_

_Make believe, close your eyes_

_I'll be anything for you. _

**-Anything for You, Evanescence**

Rei tried to shake the sense of uneasiness she felt as she walked back to her room. It didn't help that, as always, she couldn't forget him.

Of course it was wonderful, more than wonderful. She tried to find something to compare Sousuke to, but didn't quite get there. The closest she got was the thought that he was a compulsively addictive drug.

Just being near him was enough to make her feel as if she were sitting far above the rest of the world, far superior to everyone and everything else but him. And when they made love - Rei couldn't suppress the sigh that came out. She'd lost count of the number of times they'd done it now. She tried to think how long it had been since her first time, and couldn't. Days seemed to have blurred together for her.

That increased her sense of unease. Rei felt vaguely nauseous as she recalled it. They'd been watching the video of Ulquiorra facing off against Ichigo, and she had been pleased with herself - more than pleased with herself. Then she and Sousuke had ended up on his bed again -

Her heart skipped a beat, recalling the look that had been on his face seconds after they'd both come. Even in the wake of her orgasm Rei had been unable to ignore it. His eyes had opened, his beautiful eyes, and she had looked up at him while he was still hard inside her.

No, she realized, it would be wrong to say that the look on Sousuke's face had made her feel uncomfortable. It hadn't been Sousuke's face, or Sousuke's look.

It had been the false Rei's.

'Snap out of it,' Rei told herself out loud, closing her bedroom door behind her. She was being silly. That was all it was.

Doubtless it was her imagination conjuring up things which weren't there, frightened into paranoia by the conversation they'd had about Kurosaki Ichigo.

_You would do well not to displease me. _

Rei knew perfectly well what would happen if Sousuke decided she was dangerous. It wouldn't exactly be difficult for him to kill her. She spent enough time asleep - and more importantly, defenceless - in bed next to him.

She wondered with morbid curiosity where Kyouka Suigetsu's blade would go. Her heart? Her throat? Her guts? Or would he take no chances and slide the cold steel straight down between her closed sleeping eyes?

_It might be a good idea to stop killing off his Espada, _Rei thought to herself, lying down in bed. Sousuke had made it clear that there were lines even she wasn't permitted to cross. Rei didn't intend to stumble over one of those lines and end up dying a pointless death.

That, too, would be an admission that she was beneath him.

Rei pulled the sheets over her head, burying her face in the pillow. She breathed in deeply, and promptly lost consciousness.

The warm viscosity was around her feet and legs again. Rei started, feeling stuck. Then she felt her left leg move slowly forward, and realised she was waist-deep in lukewarm misty water.

She was here again, the place that had the feel of a dream and yet wasn't a dream. Rei looked around almost with a sense of guilt, feeling as if she were being watched.

Was her terrible imitation nearby? If she was, Rei couldn't see her. That made her relax, just a little.

She shivered. Tendrils of wet hair were clinging to her lower back, dampness residing there and leaving a clammy sensation on her skin. Rei wondered momentarily if she could make the water disappear. She'd always been able to make things disappear in lucid dreams.

She looked at the water and thought about its absence, not furiously as if she were concentrating, but more in a sort of abstract sideways sense. Thinking too hard destroyed the dream - that much she knew from experience. She would wake up with a start in her bed if she tried to force it.

That made her do a double take. Surely that was what she wanted? Why wasn't she trying to wake herself up, after the way her last sojourn here had ended?

Rei knew why. It was her damned curiosity again. She wanted to learn more about wherever this was.

The hostile sense in the air grew thicker with that. _Whatever this place is, _Rei thought to herself, _it doesn't want me knowing what it really is. _

She looked down, and noticed that the water level was lower. The surface was at mid-thigh now.

'I wouldn't be doin' that if I were you, Amane-chan.'

Rei started backwards, nearly falling over in shock. Ichimaru Gin smiled at her, his grin a little less wide than usual. 'Can'tcha feel it?' he asked. He wasn't naked as she was. Rei recognised the Shinigami uniform and captain's haori, but only from the images he'd shown her on his projector screen. The white cloth of the haori was soaked from the waist down.

'The lady was right. Ya shouldn't be in here,' he said gravely.

Rei stared defiantly back, not caring that she was completely exposed in front of him. 'And why not?' she said, keeping her voice polite just as Sousuke did. 'If you give me a good enough reason, Ichimaru-san, I might consider leaving.'

Ichimaru shook his head. 'An' I always said ya were a smart one. I'd've thought ya would've figured it out by now, Amane-chan.' He turned his head, squinting into the distance. 'Just the fact that I'm in front of ya now means ya should get movin'. I ain't Ichimaru Gin, not really. I'm just a reflection, just as everythin' else in here is. 'Cept fer the lady, of course.' He raised a hand, dipping his fingers into the surface. The liquid that dripped off them when he pulled his hand out wasn't water. Rei stared with horrified fascination at the scarlet, bleeding skin. It was as if he'd lowered his digits into a tin of fresh red paint.

'What do you mean?' she asked him. 'Why is it so dangerous for me to be seeing you?'

'I woulda thought that was obvious, Amane-chan.' Ichimaru sucked at one of the bleeding fingers, expression not changing at all. 'Ya know how dreams work, don'tcha? Only this ain't yer dream.'

Rei realised then. 'It's -'

'Uh-uh.' Ichimaru wagged a finger, blood moving in a long watery trail down his wrist. 'Don't say 'is name. More'll come then, and they won't be as nice ter ya as I am.'

'More reflections?' she asked. 'More of his reflections?'

'Yeah. This is how he sees me, ya realize. I'm a martyr, always have been.' Ichimaru spread out his arms, in a twisted impression of a man hanging on a cross. Blood was dripping from both hands now. 'Ya know why I'm here, Amane-chan. I don't need ta spell it out.'

And Rei did know. She did know, and she understood the feeling of intrusion, and she knew with sudden sick horror who the false her had been.

'Kyouka Suigetsu,' she whispered.

Ichimaru sighed. 'Ya should've known not ta say it, Amane-chan. Ya should have noticed by now that I wasn't sayin' her name. Well, I guess this is bye-bye.' He raised a hand, fingers splayed in goodbye, and Rei noticed with a sort of abstracted revulsion that one of them was almost corroded in the middle. She could see the fragile link of bone, decaying bleeding muscle falling away.

Then Ichimaru disappeared, and Rei was alone.

Her heart kicked violently, trying to slam its way out of her chest, when clammy arms encircled her from behind. Rei forced herself not to scream. Kyouka Suigetsu chuckled in her ear, teeth grazing against her neck. The shivers it induced were nothing like her physical response to Sousuke. That was harmony and melody in one. This was noisy, jangling, nervous discord.

'Oh, how I've missed you, darling.'

'I can't say I return the sentiment,' Rei snapped, trying in vain to wriggle out of the embrace of Sousuke's Zanpakutou.

Kyouka Suigetsu ignored her, offering no response except for a tightening of her grip. 'He's really grown quite attached to you,' she whispered. 'You should be pleased to know that he fawns over his new lapdog.'

'If you knew anything about your _master,_ you'd know that I'm not his lapdog,' Rei snarled, stressing the word 'master' out of childish spite.

'Careful now, sweetheart. If you do that again, he'll notice you're here. And somehow, I don't think even your _Sousuke-kun _is going to be willing to wave this aside.' Kyouka Suigetsu laughed, and Rei didn't miss the sarcastic inflection she attached to Sousuke's name.

'Oh, and there's one other thing.'

Rei didn't notice the raised hand until it was too late. The slap stung across her cheek, and her skin burned. Even Amane Julia's slaps had never touched her face.

'If you knew anything about _me_, you little bitch, you'd know that he's not my fucking master.' Kyouka Suigetsu bit hard into her neck, laughing again. 'But he's yours, isn't he? All he has to do is crook his finger and you jump into bed with him. You're quite right. You're his whore, darling, not his lapdog.'

'Shut up,' Rei hissed, knowing that her temper was fraying and unable to do anything about it.

'He'll grow tired of fucking you eventually, dear. He'll go back to screwing his lieutenant, and you'll have nothing better to do than watch. He's far above you. Even a five-year-old child would have figured it out by now.' Her fingers dug into Rei's ribs, and Rei felt the bite of nails. 'But then you're just another one of his concubines, aren't you? I suppose it's not entirely your fault that you didn't see it coming. After all, your only talent is opening your legs for Lord Aizen.'

A verbal weapon came to Rei's hand then, and she used it without hesitation. 'And I suppose your only talent is your Shikai.' She felt dark satisfaction at that. 'After all, Sousuke's more than strong enough to make any Zanpakutou Bankai for him. It's just unlucky for him that he was stuck with one that was too weak to do it.'

Kyouka Suigetsu was silent at that. Then her hands moved to Rei's throat. She caught her around the neck with a bruising grip, not quite choking but just pressing hard enough to make Rei's vision darken at the edges. Rei let out a strangled gasp.

'Hear this, Aizen Sousuke's whore.' The Zanpakutou's voice was light, friendly almost. 'He's been trying to make me submit to him for more than ten times your lifetime. Does that make you wonder how it is that he never succeeded?' She laughed again, high and brittle. 'Does it make you wonder why?'

Kyouka Suigetsu's fingers squeezed.

Choking blackness consumed Rei, and she gasped and coughed, sitting alert and upright in her own bed.

She could smell sour illness again. She was covered with a sheen of sweat and fear. She could see it gleaming off her skin, even in the dim light of her room.

She was afraid.

She was afraid, and only someone utterly and hopelessly stupid wouldn't be.

Somehow, she could enter Sousuke's mind. And at any minute, he could become aware of her doing it.

Rei remembered Inception again, the convergence of the subject's subconscious projections onto the dreamer. That part, it seemed, had had some truth to it. Of course, Sousuke's projection of Ichimaru Gin hadn't attempted to attack her. It had even tried to warn her.

What did that say about Sousuke himself? Was he aware of her already?

Rei knew, beyond a doubt, that it would be her death sentence if he was. She knew Sousuke, knew that he wouldn't want her or anyone else inside his head.

Least of all her. She was immune to Kanzen Saimin. She was as much of a plotter as he was. How could he fail to think that she would use her unwanted access to her own ends?

Rei loved him. She knew she was incapable of existing without Sousuke, just as the Espada would be incapable of existing had the Hougyoku never been brought into being. Sousuke had drawn her out of her mask. He had pulled her into who she was truly supposed to be.

In short, she couldn't raise a hand against him even if she'd wanted to. She couldn't even raise a finger, but Rei very much doubted Sousuke would believe her if she told him.

She buried her face in her pillow again, afraid to fall asleep.

* * *

Rei's stopped scaring me now. She's under control.

And jeez, I know I said I wasn't going to humanise Aizen or give him any traumatic past experiences. But with Kyouka Suigetsu being the way I've created her, I reckon sharing headspace with that for upwards of two centuries has to have fucked him up pretty badly.

That's my theory. Aizen is an evil, mildly insane bastard because of his Zanpakutou being a _crazy bitch. _Kyouka Suigetsu scares the crap out of me now. I'm going to have trouble sleeping now, I know it. Yes, I am aware that in a Shinigami's inner world, the only inhabitant is supposed to be the Zanpakutou, not random dream projections. Bear with me.

Nothing left to make me feel anymore


	59. King's Fool No More

Merry Christmas everyone!

My present to you…more chapters. And the next one features Rei's "reminder." I pulled myself away from my brand new copies of StarCraft and StarCraft II, lol.

To everyone who likes Grimmjow…I'm so sorry. So, so sorry. Even though this is canon - well, almost.

*sniff*

Also: I may or may not be writing a Christmas oneshot involving AiGin. And possibly smut. If you think Aizen and Gin are sexy together, then you should totally read it when I put it up.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 59

Crimson King's Fool No More

_

* * *

Say hello_

_To the rug's topography_

_It holds quite a lot of interest_

_With your face down on it. _

_Say hello_

_To the shrinking in your head_

_You can't see it, but you know it's there. _

**-The Nurse Who Loved Me, A Perfect Circle**

Inoue Orihime stared back at him, and Grimmjow could see his reflection in her dark frightened eyes.

'W - Why?' she stammered.

'Payback for my left arm,' he lied.

He had felt the Shinigami's defeat at Ulquiorra's hands. Anyone within a ten-kilometre radius would have felt it. That strong reiatsu had gone out like a candle flame in a winter breeze, and Grimmjow knew that Kurosaki Ichigo's only chance of survival was this cowering, scared woman.

Grimmjow hated himself beyond belief for acknowledging it. He had sworn to protect Amane at all costs, even at the risk of punishment from Aizen. After all, wasn't love about putting the needs of another person above your own? He had decided to protect Amane at the expense of his own personal safety, and despite that he had failed.

He had been thrown from the ranks of the Espada for her, had his tattoo cut out for her. He had been reinstated as the sixth, only to watch his sacrifice disappear down the drain.

Despite his efforts to prevent it, Amane had ended up in Aizen Sousuke's bed where Grimmjow could no longer try to protect her. And now she was beyond all help.

Aizen had defeated him.

Grimmjow wondered if the Shinigami had laughed to himself after he'd taken Amane's clothes off, taken a moment to gloat right before fucking her. He wondered if Amane's words to Harribel had been nothing more than a reassuring lie, one last assertion of independence.

_It didn't hurt at all. _

Orihime was cringing away from him, still looking terrified. Grimmjow scowled, lifting her by the front of her dress. She was unexpectedly light. He glanced at her face, noted that she'd lost weight since her arrival in Las Noches.

'What are you -' she gasped.

'"What are you"?' Grimmjow mimicked. 'What, you thought I'd come here just to save you or something?' He looked over at the fallen Loli, who hadn't moved since he'd incapacitated her.

In truth, that had been exactly why he'd come here. He had come to save Inoue Orihime so that Kurosaki Ichigo would be saved, and Grimmjow himself would be destroyed.

Some, he knew, would say it was the coward's way out. But Grimmjow no longer cared.

'I've repaid my debt to you,' he told her. 'I won't let you complain now. Now you're gonna help me with my own business.'

Orihime's eyes widened, breath indrawn in a gasp.

Grimmjow hoisted her over his shoulder. This woman was curvier and softer than Amane had been. Amane's body draped over his arm had been frail and bird-boned. Grimmjow recalled the bruises on Harribel's tanned skin the day after Aizen had raped her, and his teeth ground together. If Aizen had exercised the same lack of restraint on Amane, she'd probably have cracked ribs or worse by now.

Orihime gasped again. 'You're - hurting me.'

Grimmjow forced his arm to relax. 'Sorry,' he muttered, feeling oddly abashed. Maybe it was because he didn't want this woman to fear him as she obviously feared Aizen.

Then he remembered, and set her down. 'Heal those wounds on your face,' he ordered.

Orihime tensed, looking over towards the two injured Arrancar girls. Grimmjow guessed what she was thinking, and sighed inwardly. 'Heal your face. Right now,' he repeated, feeling impatient. That bitch Loli had been right about that, if nothing else - Aizen wouldn't leave this ignored for long.

Paying no attention to him, Orihime moved towards the bitch in question.

'What - are you doing?' Loli demanded in a croak. 'What the hell are you planning to do?'

Orihime didn't answer.

Loli's hand reared back. The human made no attempt to avoid the slap. Her head snapped back, and Grimmjow thought that would be the end of it.

But that bizarre yellow light surrounded the Arrancar, and he could see the injuries beginning to disappear. When Loli was healed Orihime moved on to what was left of Menoly.

'You've got to be kidding me,' Loli muttered under her breath. Grimmjow could hear the incredulity in her voice. It wasn't like she was bothering to hide it.

Clearly Inoue Orihime couldn't bear to see anybody getting hurt in front of her, even her enemies.

_How the hell, _Grimmjow thought to himself, _did you end up in Las Noches? _

It was a pointless question which he already knew the answer to. Aizen had wanted this woman's power. And what Aizen Sousuke wanted, Aizen Sousuke got.

'For fuck's sake,' he said aloud. 'She won't thank you for it. Now we're moving, you understand?'

Orihime flinched, even as her Souten Kisshun disappeared. 'I still have to fix my face,' she said.

Grimmjow permitted her that. When she had healed herself, he grabbed her around the waist, tossing her roughly over his shoulder. Grimmjow stepped with Sonido towards the place he knew Kurosaki Ichigo had fallen.

It didn't take him long to arrive there. When he did he was greeted with a whimpering cry, a child's figure standing near the fallen Shinigami.

'Don't die - Itsugo -'

Grimmjow didn't have time for this. 'Move,' he snarled. 'Brat.'

The girl looked up at him, eyes disconcertingly similar to Inoue Orihime's panicked frightened look. She had green hair, partially obscured by a broken Arrancar's mask. There was something vaguely familiar about her reiatsu, but Grimmjow didn't know or care what it was.

'Sexta…Espada…Grimmjow-sama,' she stumbled.

'Move,' Grimmjow repeated, pushing her aside. The Arrancar child fell to the ground a few metres away and didn't get up.

Kurosaki Ichigo's corpse was there as expected, the skin on his back burnt and blistered with the effects of the Cuatra's Cero. Grimmjow kicked the body, turning it over, and saw Ulquiorra's hallmark.

_If he put up enough of a fight for Ulquiorra to acknowledge him like that, _he thought, _then he's gotten a hell of a lot stronger. This should be over quickly. _

Grimmjow dumped Inoue Orihime on the ground next to the dead Shinigami. 'Fix him,' he ordered.

Orihime looked startled, but nodded and obeyed. 'Kurosaki-kun,' she whispered, before murmuring the words required to activate her power.

'Itsugo was - was protecting me and took a direct hit from a Cero!' It was the child again. She'd gotten to her feet and was wandering closer to Orihime, eyes filling with tears. 'Itsugo was protecting me and took a full-on kick! N-Nel got in Itsugo's way! If Nel wasn't here, Itsugo would have been okay!' she bleated. 'It's all Nel's fault! Please, Nel wants you to save Itsugo!' She bawled. The sound grated on Grimmjow's already frayed nerves.

'Shut up!' he bellowed. 'You're whining too fucking much, kid. Just try kicking that fuss up again, and I'll blow you to pieces.'

The child fell silent at that, lip wobbling. _For fuck's sake, _Grimmjow thought for the second time.

'He'll heal even if you shut your face,' he said roughly. 'So just shut up and watch.'

'Who - who did this?' Now Orihime was talking.

'Ulquiorra,' Grimmjow replied. He had to admit, he was at a loss as to why. The orders surrounding the intruders had been explicit. Only the Privaron Espada had been ordered to provide an offensive, and no one higher. One of them had already been cleaned up, he'd forgotten which one - the Exequias had dealt with whoever it was shortly afterwards - but even then, the orders had remained the same. Full Espada were not, under any circumstances, to fight the attackers.

Of all the Espada, Grimmjow hadn't expected Ulquiorra to be the one to disobey orders. Then he remembered the way the Cuatra seemed to be almost protective of his prisoner, and guessed Ulquiorra's motives.

'It's the way he does things,' he explained further. 'I don't know if he's even aware of it, though. When he finds prey he likes, he punches a hole in the same place as his own. I'm gonna let him know what kind of punishment you get for laying a hand on someone else's prey.' Grimmjow figured he might as well keep up with that façade. Explaining his real reason for disobeying orders would take too long, and it was none of this woman's business anyway.

Kurosaki's fingers twitched.

Both Orihime and the Arrancar kid gasped, and the Shinigami's eyes flickered back to life.

'Nel…and Inoue,' he whispered.

'Kurosaki-kun,' Orihime repeated, smiling.

'I - Itsugo!'

'Shut up!' Grimmjow snapped. 'If you have time to make noise, use it to hurry up and heal him!' Obviously the woman thought she'd made a lot of progress, but Grimmjow could tell just by looking at the Shinigami that he was in no condition to fight.

He was in no condition to kill.

'You're…Grimmjow,' Kurosaki exclaimed, sounding more than slightly confused. 'Why are you with Inoue?'

_For fuck's sake, _Grimmjow thought yet again. 'You shut up too, and get yourself healed!' he ordered. 'I came here to settle the score with you at your strongest.'

'Grimmjow!' Orihime's anguished cry interrupted their conversation, such that it was. 'You're making me heal him for a reason like that -'

'I told you to shut up! I'm letting you heal him when he's about to die!' Grimmjow tried picturing himself in Inoue's situation. What if he had the skills to heal Amane, to undo what Aizen had done, only to let her back in with him? Would he be able to throw her back in the lion's den?

He knew the answer was yes. Grimmjow knew how inevitable it would be, setting her up to face Aizen again, but if he had the chance to reverse the loss of her innocence he'd take it regardless of the consequences.

'Quit your fucking complaining,' he finished. 'And hurry the hell up. Soon, Ulquiorra will notice and come back here. Before that happens -'

But it was already too late. Grimmjow felt the pressure of the other Espada's reiatsu, the hiss of a Sonido.

He turned. 'Ulquiorra,' he said, stating the obvious.

Ulquiorra returned it. 'Grimmjow,' he said, no trace of pleasantry in his voice. 'What are you doing?'

Grimmjow didn't answer. He was no Aizen, always ready with a lie no matter what the situation. There was no way he was getting out of this. He thought briefly about changing his plan for self-destruction so that Ulquiorra would be the opponent instead of Kurosaki, but neglected that idea. Knowing the Cuatra, he'd be more likely to take Grimmjow to Aizen rather than finish him off.

And that death would be far from quick and shameless.

'What's wrong?' Ulquiorra's face was expressionless as always. 'I'm asking you what you think you are doing, going so far as to heal the wounds of the enemy I took down. You aren't going to answer?'

Grimmjow glanced at Orihime, and saw the woman flinch as Ulquiorra turned his eyes on her. She looked almost guilty.

'Well, it matters not,' Ulquiorra continued. 'In any case, that woman was entrusted to me by Aizen-sama.'

Like that, Grimmjow knew that whatever reason Ulquiorra had had for fighting Kurosaki, it hadn't been to defy the Lord of Hueco Mundo. He felt disgust ripple through him at the honorific, appalled at the charade of it.

_He's a Shinigami, _he thought. _A fucking Shinigami, who didn't get enough of an ego boost having a division full of subordinates. Aizen wants the entire world to be his fucking subordinate purely because he feels like it, and Ulquiorra still bends his knee to him. _

'Hand her over.'

'I refuse.' Grimmjow spat the words out.

'What did you say?' Ulquiorra's face remained unmoved, but Grimmjow could feel the change in the other Espada's reiatsu.

'What's wrong?' he taunted. 'You're sure talking a hell of a lot today, Ulquiorra!' He lunged. His hand spat scarlet light, which bounced harmlessly off Ulquiorra's forearm. Then Ulquiorra disappeared, reappearing above him. Grimmjow felt the heat of the forming Cero, sickly like fever, on his back before he saw the glow of green light.

He raised his hand to cup it, and the resulting explosion severed the tower they were standing in.

Grimmjow couldn't see through the dust, but that didn't matter. He could feel Ulquiorra's reiatsu well enough.

His hand found the Cuatra's shoulder, the Caja Negación already sitting in his other palm. Violet light extended in shimmering bands, folding over on Ulquiorra and enveloping him.

'Damn it,' Grimmjow heard, before the Cuatra was gone.

Orihime was already standing far below him on the sand, her hand covering her eyes. 'What was that?' she asked as he approached.

Grimmjow explained. 'Each of us Espada is given by Aizen -' His mouth twisted as he said the name, and he had to force himself to continue, 'something called Caja Negación for punishing our subordinates. I used that.'

'Caja Negación?' the woman repeated.

'It imprisons weak-ass underlings in a sealed dimension for all eternity,' Grimmjow answered. 'But it was never intended for use on Espada. Considering his reiatsu -' He thought. 'It'll probably last two, three hours at most.' He couldn't deny that he felt a certain measure of childish glee, having finally gotten the better of Ulquiorra and in such a humiliating fashion at that. 'Now hurry up and heal him,' he reiterated.

'No.' Orihime stared at him, but her eyes held none of Amane's stubborn defiance. She was half standing her ground, half shying away from him.

'I'm not asking if you want to or not,' he snapped, seizing her. 'Heal him!'

'No! If I heal him, you're just going to hurt him again, aren't you?'

_Don't worry, _Grimmjow thought. _I'll be the one on the ground when this is over, not him. _

Her eyes flared. 'I'm not doing it!'

With that, Grimmjow had had enough. Desire to protect or not, this woman was getting on his nerves. At least Amane behaved rationally most of the time.

A hand was at his elbow. It was Kurosaki, glaring at him from under that shock of orange hair. 'Get your hands off of her.' He shoved Grimmjow's arm away, turning to Orihime. 'Inoue. Heal me,' he said.

_Finally, _Grimmjow thought to himself.

'Please, heal my wounds,' Kurosaki continued. 'And then -' He gestured to Grimmjow's arm, which was still blistered and smoking with the strain of blocking Ulquiorra's Cero. 'His wounds, too.'

Grimmjow bristled. That hadn't been part of the plan. 'Go to hell,' he retorted. 'I don't remember asking for your sympathy.'

'Me neither,' the Shinigami replied. 'But you want to fight on equal footing, right? Or did you just want to keep those wounds as an excuse for when you lose?' He grinned.

_That's more like it, _Grimmjow thought. He drew Pantera with his injured arm, and Kurosaki blocked with his Zanpakutou.

'Damn straight!' he crowed. 'Let's fight this bloodbath as equals!'

'I'll take that challenge!' Kurosaki turned to the woman. 'Don't worry, Inoue,' he said. 'I'll win for sure.' He smiled before leaping into the air.

Grimmjow followed suit, feeling the surge of reiatsu as the Shinigami released his Bankai.

'Let's go!' he yelled.

They clashed swords, once, twice, three times. Grimmjow knew this would have to be a subtle piece of work. He would have to lose, but make it look as though he were fighting to win. Thankfully, it looked as if it wouldn't be too difficult. He could feel the increase in Kurosaki's reiatsu. His guess had been right. The Shinigami _had _gotten stronger.

They flew apart, and Grimmjow raised his arm for a Cero. Kurosaki met it with his sword, crying out. 'Getsuga -'

Grimmjow threw Pantera away, feeling a grin spread across his face. _Subtlety, _he thought, but that had never been his strong suit. The fight was taking its effect on him. Adrenaline was making him lose his resolve. He was forgetting himself in this battle, forgetting Aizen and what he'd done to Amane.

He lunged forwards, the light of another Cero spilling into his palm. Darkness met it, another Getsuga Tenshou he guessed.

More rubble rained around them, the remains of another tower crumbling at his and Kurosaki's feet.

'This is great!' Grimmjow heard the words coming out, but knew it was the Hollow in him talking. 'I've been waiting for this - for my chance to go all out and crush you! It's the same for you, isn't it, Kurosaki Ichigo?'

The dust cloud cleared, and Kurosaki glared up at him. 'I'm not fighting to defeat you.'

Grimmjow's stomach tightened. 'Don't be soft!' he sneered. On the inside, he felt more than slightly sick. _Don't let me down, _he thought. _I need you to kill me. _'Say it! Say you want to fucking slaughter me! Me, who reduced your friend to rags!' Maybe referring to that dark-haired female Shinigami would do it. 'You're dying to tear me to pieces, aren't you?' He needed Kurosaki to feel bloodlust more than anything.

'I'm not gonna forgive you,' he went on. 'You're going to learn the reason I left this scar here!' Grimmjow pointed at his chest, but could feel the adrenaline draining out of him. He'd had too much time to think, and now he just wanted it to be over.

Sure, once he would have gladly put his whole heart into the fight in front of him. Kurosaki was a strong opponent, and Grimmjow had always relished fights against strong people. But now his heart wasn't his to give.

His heart belonged to Amane Rei.

He retrieved Pantera from where it had stuck in the tower wall. Then he looked down at Kurosaki again. That was disheartening more than anything else.

'What the hell is that face?' he demanded. 'It looks like you've got no bloodlust in you at all. You're pathetic.' Grimmjow knew he was saying that last part more to himself than the orange-haired Shinigami.

'What?' Kurosaki said.

Grimmjow attacked with that. 'Let me ask you, Kurosaki. Why did you come here?' He was rummaging for ideas, anything that would make the Shinigami go all out and attack him.

'That's obvious, isn't it?' Kurosaki yelled back. 'I came to save Inoue!'

Grimmjow's frustration turned to annoyance. 'Then why didn't you even consider running away with the woman the instant you saw her?' Again, part of him was talking to himself.

He remembered carrying an unwitting Amane towards Las Noches and its king, towards her doom. _You could have run away, _he thought to himself. _Even later, you could have talked her into running away. You just didn't try hard enough. _

'Relieved because she looked okay, or something?' he snarled. Grimmjow pulled the poisoned knife out of his own chest from where Aizen had put it, and threw it at Ichigo. 'Letting your guard down a bit, aren't you?'

He saw doubt flicker in the Shinigami's eyes, and knew the kid was wondering where the conversation was going.

'Even though,' Grimmjow enunciated, 'you have no idea what might be happening to her on the inside -'

'You bastards!' His opponent looked livid. 'Did you do something to Inoue?'

'That's a great face, Kurosaki!' Grimmjow laughed, feeling Hollow on the inside in more ways than one. 'You said you came here to save that woman, right? You don't seem to get it, so I'll tell you. You're wrong. You came here to fight. You're a Shinigami, and I'm a Hollow. Whoever loses dies out. It's been that way for thousands of years!' _And so it should be. _Grimmjow thought of Aizen then. 'Do you need any other reason to fight? Come on! The one still standing at the end gets to go home alive - that's all there is to it!'

The rest was a blur of swings, parries, strikes, blocks. Grimmjow fired off a Cero, and Kurosaki answered it with another Getsuga Tenshou. The Cero broke through, missing Kurosaki by a hair. Their blades struck each other, but Kurosaki failed to block him entirely. Grimmjow saw a fine spray of blood mist the air, saw the blood staining Kurosaki's chest. Fortunately, it looked like a shallow cut.

'You're putting on a good face now, Kurosaki,' he muttered, almost to himself. 'But that form isn't the one I really wanna fight. Eat this!'

He raised his palm, feeling his reiatsu pour into the Cero. Blue light seared onto his retinas.

'Wait, Grimmjow -'

'Gran Rey Cero!' Grimmjow screamed.

Destruction in the form of blue energy twisted crazily through the sky like lightning, boiling everything in its way, heading straight for Inoue Orihime. Kurosaki intercepted it with a swipe of his Bankai, and Grimmjow saw the mask.

He no longer had any excuse.

He couldn't have Kurosaki saying, at the end of all this, that Grimmjow had _let _him win.

'Grind! Pantera!' he barked.

His blade glowed blue. He could feel it changing his body, feel his reiatsu increasing. Grimmjow remembered thinking that Kurosaki had gotten stronger. He hoped it would be enough.

He screamed, and lunged at Kurosaki.

They leapt and danced through the air, occasionally glancing off each other like a pair of simultaneously fired bullets.

'Shit,' he heard Kurosaki mutter from behind his Hollow mask. Grimmjow's claws collided with Kurosaki's sword, and the Shinigami was slammed into another nearby tower with the force of the impact. At the rate they were going, half of Las Noches would end up getting destroyed.

_Bonus, _Grimmjow thought, and laughed aloud. _Aizen has to get some refurbishment done. _

'What's wrong?' he called out. 'You can do better than that. Get your ass out here.'

'Getsuga Tenshou!' The blackness had its own kind of radiated heat, similar to that of a Cero. Grimmjow cackled. 'This is great, Kurosaki Ichigo! It's those eyes - I can't fucking stand them!'

They clashed and collided and threw each other against the nearby towers. Grimmjow had Kurosaki pinned against the wall, and he laughed. 'It looks like you've extended the time you can keep that mask on,' he said, stalling for time. 'I'm damn relieved. If it broke quickly like last time, it'd be boring as all hell!' He lunged back and then forward, baring his claws.

Kurosaki caught his attack easily. 'If my mask broke, it'd be boring?' he asked. 'Don't make me laugh!'

His Bankai sliced across Grimmjow's chest. The pain didn't even come as a shock. Grimmjow only felt more relief. He would be beaten. He would be beaten, and die honourably, rather than at the hands of Aizen Sousuke.

'That's my line, Grimmjow. If your released form shattered, it'd be boring as all hell!'

Grimmjow sprang away, and Kurosaki flew towards him. He blocked the Shinigami's blade with his forearm, feeling it tremble with the pressure. They sliced and swiped at each other for a while, both missing, before Grimmjow scored a hit. Kurosaki fell away into the sand. Grimmjow hovered above, waiting for him to reappear. Eventually that grew tiring, and he plummeted down below, initiating the fight again.

Kurosaki's blade seemed to come out of nowhere. He sliced along Grimmjow's upper arm, and they collided again.

_Destroy me, _Grimmjow thought. _Just fucking destroy me. _

It was as if he'd grown immensely tired, flickering in and out of sleep. The rest of the fight seemed to segue in and out of reality, darkness consuming his vision. It was as if Grimmjow were drowning, his head only occasionally surfacing above the water.

That was the truth of it. He was drowning, drowning in Amane, drowning in the awful horror of Aizen.

He could feel Kurosaki's reiatsu burning and swelling, exceeding his own. Grimmjow relaxed then, letting the darkness claim him. He would be ended, and there would be no shame to it.

He released his Desgarrón, watching the claws of blue light slowly scythe their way towards the Shinigami. As he'd expected, Kurosaki met the attack with his Bankai, bellowing. Shards of Grimmjow's reiatsu fell around him, and he felt as if he were looking at fragments of his own broken soul.

'It's as you said! I came to take you down, Grimmjow!' Kurosaki was advancing on him, swinging his Bankai like an axe. He had none of Aizen's casual grace, none of Aizen's premeditation. It would be swift and clean and blameless.

'I'll take down Ulquiorra, I'll take down Aizen! I can't start by losing - to you!' Kurosaki roared.

Grimmjow felt it then. It wasn't something you could ever get used to, feeling a sword cut you.

Kurosaki's Bankai sank into his left side, foreign reiatsu emanating from the blade before it pulled out. At first there was an absence of sensation, then the familiar burning. Poets could crap on all they liked about cold steel, but he knew the truth. Stab wounds burned, and this one, his killing blow, was no exception.

He gasped, and spluttered, and fell to the sand. Grimmjow stared at the sky, waiting for blackness to claim him.

It never came.

His lungs laboured, and air stubbornly crept past his lips. Too late Grimmjow realized the site of the pain was too low, too far below his chest. Somehow Kurosaki had failed to hit anything vital.

He laughed weakly. 'Got…to be fucking - kidding me,' he rasped. His legs, trembling, somehow obeyed him. Grimmjow staggered to his feet, squinting. His vision was hazy with pain.

He could just make out Kurosaki Ichigo, standing not too far away with the woman.

'I'll never go down to someone like you!' he yelled, lying until the end. He drew Pantera, Kurosaki caught his wrist before the blade could hit him -

And then he was struck from behind by the force of a familiar reiatsu, hit with the sharp heavy curve of Santa Teresa.

Grimmjow could feel it cutting him, through muscle and nerve and bone. He knew, even without mentally checking everything, that this blow really had been fatal.

He fell for the second time, seeing Nnoitra's sneer move past him in a blur. 'Damn, you're a sore loser,' the Quinta told him. 'Just die already.'

Grimmjow caught the inflection in Nnoitra's words, faint though it was. He understood that the Fifth still respected him, even despite his loss. And he understood, more importantly, the significance of this last gift.

_Thanks, _he wanted to say.

He blacked out before he could see that sneer disappear. It didn't matter to Grimmjow anyway.

Both he and Amane were beyond all help, and so now was Kurosaki Ichigo.


	60. And Down We Go

First of all I would like to thank the lovely **Sariniste **for beta-reading this chapter, which was inspired by the cover of manga 48.

I won't say any more than that, other than:

Lemon warning. This gets…quite dark. And quite lemony. I've marked off where the lemon is with another one of those discreet grey lines. I'm not your mother or anything, but please don't read past the grey line if you're likely to get traumatised by kinky stuff.

Also: I am messing with the canon a tiny bit. I know that when Grimmjow is fighting Ichigo, Szayel is fighting Renji and Ishida, Rukia is fighting Aaroniero, and so on. The reason I've changed it will become clear in the next chapter.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 60

And Down We Go

_

* * *

Overcome by this_

…

_I've lost my self-control_

…

_I'd sell my soul_

_My self-esteem_

_A dollar at a time_

_For one chance_

_One kiss_

_One taste of you_

_My Magdalena. _

**-Magdalena, A Perfect Circle**

Rei stared at the computer screen.

Could she lie her way out of this one? On the surface, maybe it was possible. She could pretend that Grimmjow bringing Orihime out of her cell had been her plan. She'd even said as much to Sousuke earlier.

Even so -

Could she really do it? Could she look him in the face and tell him a barefaced lie? More importantly, would he believe it?

Rei knew the answer to that already.

An Espada was dead. An Espada was dead, and she would be blamed for it. And now Nnoitra was fighting Kurosaki.

If Kurosaki won, Rei knew she would be safe. If he didn't, if he died again -

There was always Orihime.

Rei remembered how she'd tried to say no to Grimmjow, and her own jaw tightened. Orihime could make that pathetic attempt at a 'no' face at Rei all she wanted. It wouldn't change a thing. _If I want her to fix Kurosaki, she's going to bloody well do it, _Rei thought. _I'm not as nice as Grimmjow. _

She knew she could do whatever she liked to Orihime and Sousuke wouldn't lift a finger to stop her. Or would he?

Sousuke had drawn a line that she wasn't permitted to cross, and Rei had stepped over it. No, she had stamped on it, kicked it with her feet until it was scuffed out entirely.

She would have to try to lie. It was her only option.

Nevertheless, she was left with the distinctive feeling that she was getting in too deep again. Rei had somehow managed to accidentally access Aizen Sousuke's _mind, _of all things. Doubtless any of the Gotei captains of Seireitei would give their right arms to be where she was now.

Rei knew she'd hit the nail on the head there. If Sousuke discovered what she was capable of, in conjunction with what she'd just done -

To Sousuke, she would start looking an awful lot like a threat to be eliminated.

_He never has to know, _Rei thought to herself. _He never has to know and he's never going to know. _

She thought it with as much conviction as she could, but was struck by a new horrible idea.

What if Kyouka Suigetsu told Sousuke?

Rei remembered the Zanpakutou's spiteful whisper. _It'd be just like her, _she thought, stomach twisting.

Sousuke would destroy her if he knew. Rei knew that beyond all possibility of error. She remembered being in the bathtub and thinking he was going to run her through with Kyouka Suigetsu. Rei could remember resigning herself to it, thinking that if anyone was going to be the death of her, she wanted it to be him.

Had that changed? Was that the reason she was now afraid, where she had abandoned fear before?

Rei looked at the screen again, saw the prone figure of Grimmjow lying in the sand not far from the fighting Kurosaki and Nnoitra Jiruga. Something struck her as off about the scene, and it took her a moment to figure out what it was.

Grimmjow was a Hollow, albeit a Hougyoku-modified one. Rei knew what happened to Hollows when they perished - she had seen the Demi-Hollow fade into smoke when Grimmjow himself had terminated it with a Cero.

Grimmjow was somehow still alive.

Rei closed her computer, leaving her room. It didn't take her long to find her way to Szayel's palace.

The door was unlocked. She pushed it open, and felt the Tres Espada's reiatsu before she saw her.

Tia Harribel and Szayel Aporro Granz were sitting close together, watching the scene playing out on the screens in the laboratory. Rei cleared her throat. 'Szayel-san,' she said. 'I need you to do something for me.'

The Octava started, turning to look at her. 'Yes, Amane-sama?' If the scientist was feeling any sorrow at seeing one of his comrades defeated by another, it wasn't visible on his face. The look he gave Rei was cool, impassive, the slightly lofty look of a researcher.

Harribel glanced at her too. Her eyes were expressionless, seemingly unmoved, but she inclined her head slightly. Rei recognised the gesture for what it was. She had been forgiven for her outburst, and Harribel was letting her know. Rei turned back to Szayel.

'Would you send some of your Fracción to retrieve Grimmjow-san?'

'Ah. I see.' Szayel adjusted his glasses. 'You are, of course, aware that he isn't far from death at this point.' Apparently he'd reached the same conclusion Rei herself had. 'Even my medical expertise may not be able to save him.'

'I'd like you to try.' Rei took in a breath. 'He's done a lot for me.' She was playing a part now. She was being the helpless sixteen-year-old, a role she hated but kept in reserve nonetheless.

Even so, she was telling the truth. Grimmjow _had _done a lot for her. He had done her an immense favour with his one-sided unrequited infatuation. He had made himself into a perfect subordinate, one who was guaranteed never to betray her.

He was her unwitting assassin. She could turn him onto anyone she wished, and the target in question would be destroyed - provided of course that the task she had for him was within Grimmjow's capabilities.

He could still be useful to her, even if he had gone and attacked Kurosaki Ichigo seemingly without cause. Rei knew it would be easy enough to understand his motives once she had more information.

'As you wish, Amane-sama.' Szayel nodded. 'I will send out two of my Octava Fracción with their reiatsus cloaked and themselves hidden from sight.'

The door to the laboratory opened, and Rei felt sick when she saw the two new arrivals. Her insides turned to lead, sinking to the floor.

_This, _she thought, _definitely isn't good. _

It was Loli and Menoly, and both had gloating expressions on their faces. 'Aizen-sama wants you in the throne room,' Loli announced, hands on her hips. 'Although I can't think why.'

That confirmed it. Rei knew these two, as mere Fracción, would never dare to speak to the queen of Las Noches - Amane-dono - that way. But they could be as rude to sixteen-year-old Amane Rei as they liked. She was no threat to them.

And there could be no possibility that she was still Sousuke's queen.

'Then I suppose it would be rude of me to keep Aizen-sama waiting,' Rei said regally, turning and leaving the two Espada. 'Please forgive me, Szayel-san, Harribel-san. It seems I have business to attend to.'

Neither of them answered as the laboratory door swung shut behind her. Rei put a lid on her silent sense of dread. She had come to learn that much. Fear wasn't a scream or a chattering of teeth, it never manifested itself in whimpers or pleas or bumps in the night.

In Las Noches, fear was as silent as a morgue.

Unlike fear, the two Arrancar girls didn't remain silent for long. 'If you're half as smart as you think you are, Amane-chan, then you should be able to figure out that Aizen-sama isn't exactly happy with you.' Menoly, oddly enough, sounded less enthusiastic about Rei's downfall than Rei had first expected.

'I said it before.' Loli leaned forward, as if not quite daring to touch her. 'Aizen-sama has no patience for the weak.'

'That would certainly explain why he's never so much as given you the time of day,' Rei retorted. She didn't intend to share her feelings with these two, her premonition that this was the last time she would be walking anywhere in Las Noches. 'And as my subordinates, both of you should be addressing me by my title.'

'Shut up, bitch,' Loli sneered. 'Aizen-sama's decided to let you know now that you'll never be good enough for him, so drop the act. I don't know how long you thought you'd get away with it, lording it over us.'

'Of course you don't know. I can't blame your tiny little brain for failing to realize it.' Rei returned the sneer. 'Both of you put together might perhaps reach a sixteenth of my mental capability. That's the reason I'm the one at Aizen-sama's side, and not either of you.' She very deliberately avoided using the past tense.

Loli laughed at that, high and brittle. 'You can't seriously think that makes you special,' she snarled. 'You aren't the only one that's been at his side, Amane-sama. You've never even been to his bed.'

Rei snorted at that. 'The extent of things you don't know really does amuse me,' she said, permitting herself a smirk.

Loli reddened. Something in her face was more than indignation, more than simple malice, more than just jealousy even. There was something of possession there, and Rei realized.

'You slept with him too, didn't you?' she asked.

The Arrancar girl looked as if she wanted very much to hit her former superior. She seemed to hold herself back with a considerable amount of effort, glaring at Rei instead. They'd reached the doors of the throne room already, and Rei tried to hold down the sudden urge to be sick. _Talk about déjà vu, _she thought to herself, remembering her first day in Las Noches.

Menoly pushed the doors open. 'Aizen-sama,' she called out. 'We've brought her.'

Rei could feel the strength of his reiatsu, even from the other side of the room. It was heavier than usual, pressing on her chest and filling her lungs. She fought to keep control. _Pull yourself together, _she told herself. _You can't really feel all that. You're just imagining it. _

'Thank you, Loli and Menoly.' His voice echoed, deep and smooth. Despite her nausea, Rei still felt warm at the sound of it, felt a forbidden shudder between her legs. 'You may leave.'

Menoly bowed, moving in a Sonido. Loli looked as if she wanted to argue, but followed her companion's lead.

'Renata?'

'Yes, Sousuke?' Rei replied.

'Please, do me the courtesy of coming closer.'

Rei felt her legs obey, moving forwards as though he were pulling her forward like a marionette.

Why was she afraid of this now? She knew now, after having had time to think, that nothing had changed. Rei knew she couldn't die any other way than directly at his hand.

Then she figured out what it was. She wasn't afraid of Sousuke himself, not entirely. She was afraid of death, because she had, for the first time in her life, found something which made her actively want to go on existing.

The thought startled her so much Rei nearly stopped in her tracks. She'd never thought of herself as suicidal. She'd never _been_ suicidal, not really. She'd just been dragging her heels through existence because there was nothing better to do.

She had been born wealthy, been given everything she could have ever wanted except - of course - for what she _did _want most of all. Rei had been given Aizen Sousuke.

Once she would have been content to let her life end here. But she had been given him, no, she had _won _him, and now she didn't want to give him up.

Rei forced herself to move. The air felt thick and heavy, and she realized it was his reiatsu. Was he angry? Was that why it felt so strong?

Then she saw him, and felt her eyes widen.

Rei gasped, but no words came out.

* * *

Sousuke smiled, exposing teeth. Was it her imagination, or were his canines a little longer, sharper-looking than they'd been before? 'Are you frightened of me, my dear?' he asked. Rei saw the tip of his tongue slip out of the corner of his mouth, licking his lower lip, tasting it. 'I'm sure you'd agree that for the most part, I resemble a human,' he continued. 'I can't deny that this form is anything but human in appearance.'

His hair was longer now. It was longer than Rei's own, down over his shoulders. She supposed that some would argue with him. There was nothing particularly abnormal, or inhuman, about his appearance. His features were still the same in shape and form.

He was naked from the waist upwards, the musculature of his chest and abdomen illuminated sharply in the stark pale light of the throne room. Was he paler than usual? Rei couldn't make up her mind. She was too distracted by the gleam of the Hougyoku, purplish light dancing and flickering and casting flecks of luminescence over his ribs. It seemed to be embedded in him.

As if she were a particularly fascinating specimen exposed to the unforgiving eye of an electron microscope, his eyes regarded her with dark interest.

His _eyes. _

Each sclera was a deep violet, the irises paler like moonstone. Sousuke's eyes were no longer their lovely melted chocolate. They were hard and bright and yet still deep, like glancing into the refractive depths of the most flawlessly cut jewel.

Rei swallowed.

'You expressed a wish at one point to see my Hougyoku-modified form.' Sousuke gestured to himself almost lazily, the smirk still lingering on his lips. 'I decided to grant you that privilege.' He sat down, reclining on his throne.

'As a last request?' Rei had to ask it. 'Are you going to kill me?'

Sousuke laughed. 'That would be a little extreme for my tastes, although you _did_ displease me.' He vanished then, and reappeared less than thirty centimetres away from her. Rei gulped again, feeling air escape from her lungs. 'I expressly warned you, did I not?' he breathed.

Rei was unable to answer, captivated by him. He was still her Sousuke, but she couldn't help but feel she was in the presence of an incubus, some sort of beautiful demon god.

'You - did,' she managed to say.

'I cannot have you destroying Kurosaki Ichigo, my dear.' Sousuke wound his arms around her, lithe and muscular, pressing his lips to the top of her forehead. 'You,' he whispered, 'might be queen of Las Noches. But that doesn't excuse the simple fact that you have been a very naughty girl.' He moved his lips down along the bridge of her nose, positioning his face so that his mouth was a fraction of an inch away from her own. 'And you must be aware that naughty girls need to be punished.'

With that, Sousuke's mouth was on hers, hard and possessive. Rei moaned with helpless desire. She hadn't imagined it. She could feel his teeth biting at her lower lip, light at first, longer and sharper.

There was nothing even remotely gentle about him. His reiatsu weighed on her, dense and just a touch off suffocating. Rei struggled to draw in air as his hands wandered over her body, taking and touching and sampling whatever he wanted. She could tell it was going to be like the time in the shower, only much more animalistic. There was a kind of savagery in him, and Rei didn't know if he was acting or not. She suspected not.

Would she even be able to think of this as lovemaking afterwards? Rei moaned as his hands found her breasts, fingers pressing into her in a way that she knew would bruise. Lovemaking seemed far too euphemistic a word for what she could feel this would be.

For certain, Sousuke wouldn't be raping her here and now. This would be entirely consensual. Rei had never flinched away from the initial pain when Sousuke pushed into her. In truth, it had always added to the pleasure rather than detracting from it. It wasn't so much masochism as the thrill it gave her, being able to satisfy and feed the sadist in him.

No, what would follow wouldn't be lovemaking. Rei remembered what she had gasped into Sousuke's ear that night on the piano. It seemed she would get her wish. This would be fucking, hard and fast and unforgiving and beyond ecstasy.

His fingers tore her dress open, and he chuckled darkly. As if he could tell that the harshness of it and the excitement of being wanted so uncompromisingly by him pleased her, Sousuke slowed down. He trailed hot kisses down her throat, cupping her breasts in his hands and squeezing. He moved his lips further down her body, long fingers stroking her ribs while he kissed her breasts, tongue moving in warm circles around each of her nipples in turn.

Rei couldn't breathe, the pressure of his reiatsu and her body's reactions combining unfavourably. She couldn't bear it. Her knees weakened, her legs folding. Sousuke's arms caught her around the waist. He laughed again, laying her partially clothed down on the cold marble floor.

'I sensed you were enjoying my punishment a little too much,' he told her. 'I see I made the right decision when I chose to proceed more slowly.' Rei caught a glimpse of shining demon eyes before he lowered his mouth to her throat.

He was doing it painstakingly slow now, paying careful attention to her neck and the line of her jaw when Rei wanted him to pay more attention to other parts of her body. His hair fell over her, yet another sign of possession. He licked the hollow at the base of her throat where her collarbones met. Her arms were spread either side of her body, his hands pinning her wrists to the floor.

He kissed her breasts again, licking her nipples. 'More,' Rei heard herself beg, her legs wrapping around him.

Sousuke went even slower at that. He made her wait before taking her left nipple into his mouth, neglecting the right entirely. He started kissing her ribs instead, much too gradually moving further down.

Rei knew what was coming next, and let out a little cry of desire as his tongue dipped into her navel. His hands released her wrists, instead moving the torn dress down over her hips and spreading her thighs apart. Rei could see the dark curls of hair between her legs, saw Sousuke bend his head down. He teased her first, graceful musician's fingers stroking and thrusting in and out of her in turn. Rei arched her back, feeling wanton beyond belief as Sousuke's head of long, thick brown hair finally nestled itself between her thighs. They were on the floor of the throne room, and Ichimaru Gin or even Tousen could walk in at any moment. Rei wasn't even surprised that she didn't care in the slightest.

Her incubus licked and sucked, stroking and tasting her down there with his tongue. Sousuke looked up at her with those violet jewel-like eyes, the eyes of a demon-god, and Rei saw that twist of a wicked smile as he lifted himself up.

'No,' she protested.

'Punishments aren't supposed to be quite this enjoyable, my dear.' Sousuke lifted her into another embrace, his reiatsu tightening around her as if to remind her once and for all that he would always be stronger. Her body pressed against his as he stood, the bare skin of her breasts and stomach sliding past the Hougyoku. Even if she'd wanted to describe how it felt, Rei knew she wouldn't have been able to. It was pulling her own reiryoku out of her and turning it into something more. Now her reiatsu was pressing back against his, almost as strong and not quite getting there.

She gasped, struggling to continue breathing. 'I - can't -' Even that fragment was an immense effort. It was killing her.

Sousuke's long fingers were underneath her chin, tilting her head up. He smiled a vampire's smile and kissed her. Rei could taste herself on his lips, salty like tears, like blood.

'You've done very well, Renata,' he murmured. 'You can feel it, can't you? You can comprehend my power, even though you exist so far below me. And you're managing to maintain consciousness, despite being a mere human.' He chuckled. 'If I'd greeted you in this form the day we met, your body and soul would have disintegrated the moment I was within a ten-metre radius of you. It pleases me to see how far you've managed to progress. Even so, you're feeling quite a lot of discomfort, aren't you?'

The pressure wasn't so hard to bear now that she was touching the Hougyoku. Her own reiatsu was somehow managing to hold his at bay, but that was coming at a price.

Rei felt as if she could see the energy flowing out of her, trying to maintain the Hougyoku's effect. The air was wavering in front of her eyes, and she felt as though she were going to faint.

Slowly, it eased. She could feel the shape of the Hougyoku pressing into her skin, flaring hot. Even when it stopped pulling her reiryoku away from her, and Sousuke's spiritual pressure returned in force, it was less restrictive than it had been before.

'I don't intend to let you die, or to force you into a coma,' Sousuke told her. 'I am the Hougyoku's master, after all. The fact that it possesses a will of its own is remarkable, but insignificant. It can do nothing that conflicts with my own desires.'

Rei had always thought of the word _evil _as something rather silly, a word to scare frightened children and equally foolish frightened adults into believing whatever moral cautionary tale was shoved down their throats. That assumption was rewritten by the look on Sousuke's face, the thoughts in those alien eyes hard and bright like amethysts. She could see the tips of those long pointed canine teeth, made for tearing and devouring, just hidden behind his lips. The smile which curved those lips was utterly evil.

'This,' he noted, 'would be exceptionally uninteresting with you unconscious.' He drew her closer to him then, and raised his gaze to the ceiling of the throne room.

Reiatsu burned against her own, impossibly hot and dense. Rei wondered for a moment if she was standing next to the devil's furnace, or the heart of the sun. They were in the air, far above Las Noches. It took her a while to figure out what had happened. He had used Shunpo to move, and -

Rei glanced down, far below her bare feet, and gulped. Smoke and dust were still rising in a plume from the hole in the domed white ceiling.

_He did that, _she thought. _With his _reiatsu. _He didn't even need to use a Kidou. _

Hueco Mundo - the outside - was just as she remembered it. Grey sky encircled the sands, boundless and infinite. That unchanging crescent moon hung in the sky, silvery light draped over everything in curves and gleams. It looked like a warped reflection of a real place, like a Salvador Dalí painting.

They neared a tower, not too far away from the ruined surface of the throne room ceiling. Sousuke set her down before Rei could fully recover from the notion that the two of them had just been flying - or floating - through the air.

Her feet touched cold marble, and she shivered, pulling the remains of her dress more tightly around her.

Sousuke laughed at her efforts. 'Do you really want to do that, my dear?' he asked her, stretching lazily in the moonlight. He stepped forward, and Rei felt one hand slip between her legs without waiting for her permission. His fingers moved, slick with her arousal, stroking and pleasing and at the same time denying.

'No,' she replied in a gasp, grasping his shoulders, the cold air the furthest thing from her mind. 'I don't.'

Sousuke's eyebrows raised above his moonstone eyes. 'Have you forgotten to whom you are speaking, Renata?' he asked.

Rei writhed against him. 'Please forgive me - Lord Aizen,' she panted, and his fingers stopped what they were doing.

Sousuke looked down at her, that evil smile appearing again at her frustration. 'There will be no release for you tonight, my dear,' he said. 'Instead, I have something else in mind for you.'

His hands went to Rei's shoulders, pushing down. Her head fell as well, until her upper body was inclined in the very slightest of bows. Her forehead was resting on his chest next to his heart, her lips just above the Hougyoku.

Rei knew that the pulse she could feel against the bridge of her nose was physical only. Sousuke didn't have a soft emotional centre, not like Grimmjow, who adored her, did.

The futility of loving him was partly what drew her to him. Rei knew she could never love someone who gave their adoration freely, as Grimmjow did.

'What do you want me to do, Lord Aizen?'

Sousuke laughed, the sound rippling throughout the void of the sky. A slight breeze stirred around them, and his hair lifted behind him, looking like the folded wings of an evil angel.

'I believe I've been far too generous thus far,' he said in that husky, seductive voice. 'I rule by the principle of equivalent exchange, Renata. Everything is available for trade, as long as something of equal value is given in return.' His hand cupped the back of her head, burying her face in his chest. 'In the bedroom at least, I've given you quite a lot without receiving very much in return. As well as being a naughty girl, it seems you've become a selfish one too. And I cannot abide selfish lovers.' He kissed the tip of her left ear, tracing its edge with his tongue. He breathed warm into her ear, just as she'd done not so long ago, and that shudder went between her legs again at his next words.

'Pleasure me,' he ordered.

Rei kissed his chest, pressing her lips to the Hougyoku. She could feel its effect on her again, felt her reiatsu matching Sousuke's in strength but without any of the dizzying weakness this time around.

'Yes, my lord,' she murmured. 'I understand.'

His hand cupped the back of her head at that. Rei felt his fingers press hard against her skull, as if to crush it. She knew the truth. He was holding himself back, reminding her of his power at the same time. If he'd so wanted, he could sink his fingers right into her head, wear a gauntlet of her blood and bone on that lovely pale hand.

She had been a fool to think that guessing the truth about his Bankai would guarantee her permanence or safety. His beauty, his power - it would terrify any sane person.

'Never be,' he whispered, 'so impudent as to think you can understand me.'

Rei held her tongue. Her skull was still firmly within his grip. He had her in the palm of his hand.

So she kept her thoughts to herself. She did understand him, as no one else would ever be able to. Sousuke himself would say that was arrogance speaking, no doubt. And maybe Rei _did _need to be taken down a peg.

But if she did, that was only because she was just like him, in soul if not in strength.

'Yes, my lord,' she repeated, kissing the Hougyoku again, a symbol of subservience. She kissed a line sideways along his chest, pausing for a moment over his pulse.

She could feel Aizen Sousuke's heartbeat. That in itself was gratifying. She was this close to him, in his most powerful state, and she was somehow still alive.

That excited her, and she pressed her lips harder to his skin. _Lord Aizen, _she thought to herself, admiring the way his name sounded in her head. _Sousuke, my love. _

'I love you, Aizen-sama,' she murmured against him.

All Rei heard in response was his chuckle, the dark sound deep inside his throat. 'Don't expect me to return the favour, my dear,' he replied.

* * *

I'm considering getting over my fear of drawing half-naked men and doing a fanart of this. If I can be bothered. I still have a request and a contest prize to do on dA, and work's been giving me a lot of work. Basically I now live in a pharmacy. As opposed to my house.

Anyways, hope you liked the chapter. And the lemon. And I hope the ending worked okay. (Without my beta, I can pretty safely say you'd all be wanting to kill me right about now.)


	61. Filled

More lemon. You have been warned. And _damn _I want to draw Aizen as he first appears in chapter 60, all hot and shirtless in his Hougyoku form on his throne. But the male anatomy frightens me. I'm scared I won't draw him sexy enough.

It's funny, I keep forgetting how much of an age difference there is between Aizen and Rei. I think it's because they have so much in common personality-wise.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 61

Filled

_

* * *

Screaming, feed me here_

_Fill me up again_

…

_It's time to bring the fire down_

_Bridle all this indiscretion_

_Long enough to edify_

_And permanently fill this hollow. _

**-The Hollow, A Perfect Circle**

Renata was kissing hard along the lines of his ribs, her need for him evident in the way her tongue was darting out to lick his skin.

This was to be a lesson in humility for her. Aizen had taught her half of it already. She had felt the domination of his reiatsu, and he had seen the widening of her eyes as she had comprehended just how strong he was. Any of those fools in Seireitei, even the captains, would have failed to recognise what Aizen was capable of. They would see him merely as an opponent, an obstacle to be removed.

Renata had witnessed for herself just how much stronger her lover was than her, his _power, _and she surely had to recognise that challenging him - or defying his will - was pointless. Now Aizen planned to teach her the second part of her lesson.

She seemed to have developed a strategy of sorts now. She had moved further up, kissing his chest, identifying what had pleased her and seeing if it induced the same effect in him. Her hands knotted in his longer hair, her mouth closing slowly around his right nipple.

The motions of her tongue were clumsy, but she learned quickly, as Aizen had come to expect from her. He could feel himself hard again at the sight of it, her dark hair falling tangled over her mostly bare shoulders, the cautious movement of her mouth across the skin of his chest.

She was much more hesitant than she had been recently. Aizen wondered if it was his altered form, or the awe she felt for his powers. Perhaps it was even the knowledge that at the end of it all, there would be no final climax for her.

He felt her tense as she noticed his arousal, felt her cease her ministrations. That displeased him.

'Did I give you permission to stop, Renata?' he asked.

She spoke against his chest, her voice sounding thick. 'No.'

Aizen cupped her chin in his hand, finding her lips with his fingers. That, at least, induced a reaction. She took his fingers into her mouth, sucking and licking eagerly, almost hungrily.

'You've forgotten again,' he reminded her. 'As we are now, I am most definitely your superior. You must address me as such, my dear.'

Reluctantly, Renata let him pull his hand away. 'No, you didn't give me permission - Lord Aizen,' she said.

'Delightful. Now, please continue.' Aizen felt her kiss his stomach, his navel. She was almost, but not quite, on her knees. Her left hand found the waist of his pants, skimming over it to clasp his sex. She closed her hand around him through the pants, doing what he'd taught her. She was proving to be an exceptional student.

'Am I - pleasing you?' she asked.

'Not quite.' Aizen looked down at her as she looked up at him. He devoured her soft full mouth with his eyes, waiting for her to figure out what he wanted her to do.

Renata blinked, looking almost sleepy through the fog of desire that was seeping through her frustration. She slowly undid his loose white pants, letting them fall to the white marble of the tower roof.

Aizen smiled again, pleased at the gratified sigh that came from her, the girl on her knees looking up at his naked form. 'Tell me,' he said. 'Am I still beautiful to you? Is this truly a punishment, or do you enjoy pleasing me?'

Renata shook her head vehemently. 'I feel -' She stopped, as if she weren't sure how to finish the sentence. 'You're beautiful,' she said. 'Beautiful like a god. More beautiful than God.'

Her fingers curled around his erection again, stroking and pleasuring. Aizen let an impatient shudder ripple through him before he spoke.

'Taste me, Renata,' he ordered.

There was remarkably little hesitation on her part. Those soft lips of hers kissed along the length of his cock, drawing out the moment of anticipation before she took him into her mouth.

Pure pleasure overtook him, and he moaned. There was something so much more, so much more deeply satisfying, when it was Renata instead of Gin. Aizen knew he had always looked upon her mouth with desire, that lush full mouth so unsuited to a child of sixteen. He mentally compared it with Gin's thin lips, and knew who he found wanting.

She licked and sucked at him, hands stroking the insides of his thighs. Aizen looked down at her and felt dark voyeuristic pleasure, seeing her tangled mess of hair, her nearly naked body bowed in submission to him, her lips flushed and moving in long swift strokes along his arousal.

Her arms were twined around his legs, and he could feel her small fingers pressing into his thighs. Aizen knew the answer to his question. This was no punishment for her.

Renata truly did seem to enjoy pleasing him. That came as no surprise. All those faces, those with names and those without, that Aizen had taken to bed with him had enjoyed giving him pleasure. Indeed, keeping that one small gift from them had amused him. Withholding his own cry of orgasm as whoever was underneath him writhed and came had been one of his favourite pastimes. Aizen enjoyed that, just as he had enjoyed seeing the wonder and desire on Renata's face when she'd first seen him naked, just as he enjoyed seeing her in pleasure.

Part of it was selfish triumph over Grimmjow Jaggerjack, the gratification of taking something wanted by someone else. More than once, Aizen had considered orchestrating some sort of incident, a walk-in perhaps. He smiled up at the moon, picturing it. He would be making love to Renata, drawing out the moment before orgasm as long as possible for both of them, her gasping and naked, and the look of anguish and despair on the Sexta's face -

The thought of it almost made Aizen lose control, almost made him give in to what Renata's mouth was busy doing between his legs. He drew breath in sharply between his teeth. 'Mmm…you're doing wonderfully well,' he murmured, cupping the back of her head in one hand.

He knew that wasn't all it was. Feeling her tense beneath him in bed, seeing the intelligence in her eyes white out for that single moment of bliss, had pleased him more than he'd thought possible each time it had happened.

She explored his hipbones with her fingers, and Aizen could feel one of her breasts, warm and firm, brushing just lightly against the inside of his leg as she leaned forward to take all of him inside her mouth again. He considered, momentarily, letting her finish.

Then he remembered that he was no longer entirely satisfied.

'You may stop,' Aizen told her, and felt her mouth fall away from him almost reluctantly. She looked up at him, flushed and dazed and disappointed in herself. 'Wasn't I - good enough?' Renata's voice sounded thick, frustrated.

'On the contrary, my dear.' Aizen lowered himself down, watching her eyes flicker to life again. With that, he laid her out on the marble, tearing away the last of her dress, leaving her naked in front of him. His eyes, which he knew were altered, devoured her.

Hard and half-finished as he was, he ignored the concept of patience. Her mouth was open and lush, her body poised and inviting. Those long slender legs were parted for him in the moonlight, and Aizen traced the insides of her thighs with his gaze, his eyes lingering in the dark cloud of hair between her legs. He climbed on top of her, feeling his longer hair fall over both of them, hearing her gasp of surprise.

'But - you said -' She sounded confused and excited at the same time.

Aizen reached his hand between her legs for the third time that night, hearing her delighted moan, her hips bucking against him. She was still aroused, and he could smell her, even still taste her. He licked his lips, feeling her wet and slick and helpless beneath his fingers.

'Aizen-sa…sama…yes - _please_ -'

'You _are _a wanton little thing, aren't you?' Aizen chuckled. 'Would you like me to break my promise to you?' He paused to admire the dark flush in her cheeks, the sensation of her breasts against his chest. 'Would you like me to pleasure us both, my dear?'

'Yes,' she groaned. 'Yes. Do it now.'

And Aizen did. He pushed into her slowly instead of hard and fast as he usually did, feeling her close around him warm and tight, feeling her wrap her arms and legs around him as if trying to pull his body deeper into her own. No, it was as if she were trying to consume him, pull his body entirely inside her.

He let out a sigh, then a moan, as he increased the speed of it, thrusting harder into her, hearing her cries and moans of pleasure rivalling his own. He saw the tense ecstasy in her face as she came a first and then a second time. Aizen reached his own climax shortly afterwards, shuddering into her, waiting a while before pulling out.

He took her into his arms almost tenderly, feeling her shiver at the weight of his reiatsu.

'I'm - sorry,' she whispered. 'I meant to kill Ulquiorra, not -'

Aizen put a finger to her lips. 'Ones such as us,' he reprimanded, 'do not need to apologise.'

Renata nodded in silence. When Aizen drew his hand away she buried her face underneath his chin, breathing deep against his neck. He smiled into her hair, speaking again. 'Do you feel it?' he asked. 'They have entered Hueco Mundo. They are coming to retrieve her, just as I planned.'

'Yes.' Renata's voice was muffled. 'It's - I can sense things more clearly through you. I can feel them. They're strong.'

'Right now,' Aizen corrected her, 'we are stronger. Do you feel Zaraki Kenpachi? Kurotsuchi Mayuri?'

'Yes. They're just as you described.'

'You may,' he told her, 'kill those two as you please.'

'Thank you, Aizen-sama,' she replied, soft and polite.

'I have another gift for you.' Aizen waited, Renata silent against him. Her reversed pulse was against his, blood thudding slowly through their arteries in perfect synchronicity. 'You may kill Abarai Renji, and Yasutora Sado, and Kuchiki Rukia, and Ishida Uryuu,' he murmured, kissing the top of her head. 'I no longer have any need of them, and I am sure it would please you to see Inoue Orihime cry at the loss of so many of her friends.'

'Thank you, Aizen-sama,' she whispered again, but Aizen could hear the dark satisfaction in her voice, something less than submissive.

He waited for her to fall asleep in his arms, and when she did he lifted her, carrying her inside the hole in the roof, moving naked and silent through Las Noches to his rooms. If anyone saw or felt him, there was no indication of it.

Aizen lay her on his bed and drew himself up beside her. She moaned in her sleep, reached for his face with childlike fingers, and he heard her murmur his name.

'Sousuke…love…' she mumbled.

Aizen kissed her fingers, letting them skim down his cheek. 'Renata, my love,' he murmured, experimenting. The words sounded odd in his mouth, planted and artificial, like an unskilled actor reading a poorly written script.

That was never a description Aizen would have chosen for himself.

He smiled, pulling her against his body, feeling her limbs wrap around him.


	62. First Contact

Updating, because my RL is being a bitch right now. Sometimes I wish I had a Death Note. I really do.

Aizen: *tentatively offers me a hug*

Me: You know, everyone who hates you is so judgemental. *sniff*

Aizen: Now you know why I smothered my only parent in her sleep with a pillow.

Me: I can't exactly follow your example. *blows nose* There are laws and stuff out here in the real world.

Aizen: Screw the rules.

Me: But I don't have any money. Or green hair.

Aizen: Then come and live in Hueco Mundo with me. You have done much justice to Aizen-sama in this work of fiction, and he has deigned to reward you.

Me: Really?

Aizen: On the condition that you make this lemon a regular occurrence. It pleases Aizen-sama. *grins*

Me: You've got a deal.

On a slightly less depressing note: I've finished my AiGin oneshot, **Cerise. **It was supposed to be for Christmas, but ended up getting posted way later. You should all go and read it. But before you do, I should probably warn you - it contains lemon. And involves cherries. And it's very, very sexy and may result in nosebleeds. That is all.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 62

First Contact

_

* * *

Trees have dropped their leaves_

_Clouds their waters_

_All this burden is killing me. _

_Distance is covering your way_

_Tears your memory_

_All this beauty is killing me. _

…

_I fear I will never_

_Ever find anyone_

_I know the greatest pain is yet to come. _

**-Beauty and the Beast, Nightwish**

He could feel her reiatsu before she entered the room. When she did, Szayel's eyes latched onto her. Harribel's face was as serene as ever above the white collar of her Espada uniform, but he could see the slight tension in her eyes.

'Grimmjow,' he said aloud, knowing it was needless.

Harribel nodded. 'I know. I was watching.' She inclined her head out of respect, and then looked up at him. 'I can feel his reiatsu in here. Is he dying?'

Szayel gave her the most honest reply he could. 'Perhaps. It's really too early to tell. There is nothing more I can do. My Fracción are attending to him.'

Harribel walked towards him, sitting next to him at the computer terminal. 'He was trying to end himself,' she said. 'Why did you attempt to save him?'

'Amane-dono requested it of me.'

Harribel rested her forehead in her hand at that, elbow on the desk in front of them. 'She has genuine feelings for Aizen-sama,' she said. 'It will only happen again.'

Szayel acknowledged the truth of it. 'Yes,' he said, the bitterness returning. 'It will continue until Aizen-sama decides to get rid of her, or she no longer loves him. Even then -'

Harribel raised a hand, touching it to his to silence him. Even partially mired in despair as he was, Szayel stopped speaking. It was the first time the object of his fascination, worship even, had touched him.

It was such a small and simple gesture, her tanned fingers resting on the back of his hand over the white of his glove. Szayel noticed, with the abstract tendency to observe characteristic of a scientist, that their hands were almost the same size. His fingers were only very slightly longer than Harribel's.

She was silent too. Szayel looked at her, wondering what she was thinking and hardly daring to speculate. Then she raised her eyes to meet his own. That in itself was extraordinary. Ever since the altercation with Aizen, the Shinigami's violation of his goddess that had broken Szayel's heart, Harribel had always looked away rather than meet anyone else's gaze.

Her hand closed around his, squeezing. Szayel moved his fingers to match her own, holding her hand.

'Aporro?' Her voice was soft. 'Why - do you think Nnoitra chose to do what he did?'

Szayel answered with the words hated by any researcher. 'I don't know,' he admitted, and felt no chagrin whatsoever.

The laboratory door slid open, the harsh light exposing Tousen Kaname. 'Szayel Aporro Granz,' he said. 'You have new orders from Aizen-sama.'

Unwillingly, Szayel let Harribel's hand move away from his own. 'Yes, Tousen-sama?' he replied. 'What would Lord Aizen have me do?'

The dark-skinned Shinigami was silent, pausing before speaking. 'Lord Aizen asks that you do this on Amane-sama's behalf,' he said, the honorific on Amane's name carrying an unwilling note. 'You have been asked to intercept and destroy the intruders Abarai Renji and Ishida Uryuu, who are approaching your area of Las Noches.'

Szayel merely stared at his superior, momentarily lost for words.

Tousen continued. 'In addition to these, you have another target, which you will need to wait for. Kurotsuchi Mayuri.' He sighed. 'I have been told to tell you that you should be aware of which technique to use.' He fell silent, finished, obviously waiting for some sort of reply.

Aizen had expressly forbidden any of the currently ranked Espada to attack any of the intruders. Well, perhaps _forbidden _was too strong a word. Aizen had politely requested, lips moving over the top of a teacup, that the Espada delegate the defence of Las Noches to the weaker Arrancar. Nevertheless, the effect was the same. The consequences for disobeying Lord Aizen were clear, as demonstrated by Grimmjow. In truth, Szayel had expected Grimmjow to die at Aizen's hands rather than Kurosaki Ichigo's for his transgression.

What had changed, to suddenly make this acceptable? It was clear on the surface why the order had come from Amane rather than Aizen - Amane was the commander of the Espada, and had been tasked with arranging the strategy of defending Aizen's stronghold.

But Szayel knew full well, as did everyone in Las Noches, that Amane did nothing that Aizen didn't want her to do.

To his surprise, Harribel was the one to voice the question. 'Tousen-sama,' she said, standing. 'What is going on?'

The blind Shinigami's head turned at the sound of her voice. 'That,' he said, his tone cold, 'is none of your concern. All that is important is Aizen-sama's will.' He reached under his arm, and Szayel noticed for the first time that Tousen was carrying some sort of document envelope. The dark-skinned man extended his arm. 'Amane-sama,' he said, pausing and sounding unwilling to acknowledge her authority again, 'has a research project for you. She would like you to commence work on it as soon as you have taken care of the intruders.' He handed Szayel the document wallet, who took it. As soon as he had, Tousen left the room, not bothering to wait for any further acknowledgement.

Harribel was staring at Szayel, her eyes wide. 'Why does he now want -' she whispered.

'I have battle data on both Abarai Renji and Ishida Uryuu.' Szayel could hear his own voice, leaden and slow. 'Aizen-sama knows I was monitoring through both Ilforte and that Privaron Espada woman. He knows they won't stand a chance against me. You are correct. He now wants them killed.'

'What,' Harribel repeated, 'is going on?'

Szayel tried to put on his scientist persona, tried to analyse and extrapolate some sort of conclusion for himself as well as for her. 'Kurotsuchi Mayuri. Have you heard that name before?' he asked.

Harribel inclined her head, just once. 'A Shinigami Captain. The priority target, I assume.' She looked up, and Szayel saw the question in her eyes.

He couldn't lie, in light of what Tousen had said. 'It - is not guaranteed,' he said, his voice heavy. 'That is why Tousen-sama gave me that final order. Whatever happens, I will follow orders and Kurotsuchi Mayuri will die. But I myself -' He stopped there, and Harribel seemed to understand.

She closed her eyes, folding her hands in her lap. She looked like some kind of forlorn angel. 'Do you think - for us - it will be like the first time?'

Szayel knew immediately what she was talking about, and postponed answering. Instead, he opened the envelope, taking out the sheets of paper within. Of course, it would have been possible for Amane to simply send her request to him electronically without using Tousen Kaname as a go-between. Why had she taken the trouble to print this report, when an email would have served her purpose just as well?

Szayel could guess. She had wanted to emphasize the importance of her project, whatever it was.

He read through the first typed sheet. 'Interesting,' he murmured to himself, looking up at Harribel. She was silent, waiting for him to elaborate rather than demanding an explanation from him.

'It seems she's discovered something about her powers.' Szayel told Harribel about the advantage Amane had learned how to give herself, and her request of him.

Harribel's eyebrows lifted. 'Is that possible?' she asked.

Szayel shrugged. 'Mass and reiatsu - that would require a living being. Certainly, it is an interesting question.' He fell silent. Harribel's question still hung in the air, and as if guessing what he was thinking, she repeated it.

'Aporro? How will it feel for you when you die?'

Harribel's eyes were unblinking.

Szayel gave her honesty again. 'No one can say for sure,' he admitted. 'It seems, in any case, that Amane-sama still has a purpose for me. Perhaps God will be on my side.'

Harribel looked away at that. 'You know who God is here,' she said. Her tone was blunt and final.

* * *

Yay, my almost totally neglected side pairing is back! Aww, so cute. Right after Aizen and Rei finish having kinky sex, Szayel and Harribel…hold hands for the first time.

Lol.

I felt like writing something semi-sweet and romantic.

Plus I have started drawing a fanservice picture of Aizen for a contest on dA. It's of him when he's a lieutenant. Because as we all know, Aizen-fukutaicho is gorgeous. *is not admitting how much she wanted to make out with him in the Turn Back the Pendulum arc* I just need to scan it in.

Anyways, on to the next chapter. I am going to write until I stop feeling depressed.


	63. Remorse and the Water Tower

I rewatched all the episodes of Death Note in about three days.

*warning spoilers*

Light Yagami…yeah, take that, douchebag. That's what you get for killing L. (Well, technically it was Rem, but we all know who to blame…)

Also:

Aizen Sousuke = Light Yagami version 2.0

Just sayin'. I mean, come on. They fixed the bugs, added awesomeness, subtracted douchebaggery and increased operating capacity. (Light can kill people by writing their names in a notebook. I'm fairly sure Complete Mindfuck - I mean Hypnosis - trumps this.) And it has brand new sexy packaging. Because my Aizen-sama is a very sexy package. And he's automatically better than Light, because Aizen didn't kill L.

Light, you are such a fucking bastard. I hate you so much. You totally deserved what came to you in the end. In fact, I lol'd. That was supposed to be a tragic scene, and I bet your fangirls cried…

…but I lol'd.

That's all.

Oh, and this chapter is ever so slightly creepy. You'll see what I mean. Hopefully I don't offend anybody. (Although I think all the prudes disappeared after chapter 50, if there were any to begin with.) This chapter's song lyric…*snort*…I think it's, erm, appropriate.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 63

Remorse and the Water Tower

_

* * *

In the shadows that keep growing_

_We exchange revolutionary vows_

_Because I mustn't let anyone interfere with me. _

_The recent past tells me of the future;_

_My dreams - become my ideals. _

**-The WORLD, Nightmare (English Translation)  
**

Rei stretched, woke up, blinking slowly. Sleep still clung heavy to her body, deep dark mercifully _dreamless _sleep, and she felt warm and sated.

She moved her arms through the bed sheets next to her, wanting to find Sousuke's warm body -

She encountered emptiness. That made her sit up, confused.

Rei heard the half-shriek come out of her, as if it were some other girl sitting on the bed, her a half-formed ghost looking down.

She was in the murky water-world again. The bed floated without moving - clearly there was no current, not that there'd ever been one before. Looking cautiously over the side, Rei could see the dark blur of her reflection on the greyish surface. She hadn't slept dreamlessly the night before, and this wasn't the next morning.

She was inside Sousuke's head again, and she was still asleep.

Rei drew herself in, curling up in a ball. She breathed out shakily, hugging her knees to her chest, trying to take up as little space as possible as if that would somehow prevent him discovering her presence.

'Shit,' she whispered aloud. Even that felt too much for the vast watery expanse of emptiness, and Rei hastily covered her mouth.

Her thumb and index finger found her forearm, pinching the skin there hard. Rei could feel the pain, but it didn't wake her up. She sighed, suddenly resigned. It seemed all she could do was wait, wait and hope that no more projections - or worse, Kyouka Suigetsu herself - showed up.

Rei looked around her, searching for some way to mentally pass the time. She could see nothing, as per usual.

Another frustrated sigh escaped her. Of all people, she wouldn't have thought Sousuke likely to have a boring inner world.

Rei twisted on the bed, looking behind her, and started. Her throat closed up, sharp and horrified.

It was odd, part of her thought in an abstract sense, to be so frightened by such an innocuous sight. He was a young boy, about six or seven Rei would have supposed if she'd been asked to take a guess.

The clothes he was wearing were washed out like the rest of the world around them, threadbare and patched so many times she couldn't pick out what their original colour had been. His small feet were just touching the surface of the water which, she supposed, was to be expected. After all, she was an intruder and he wasn't.

He regarded her with a look too old for a child behind his glasses, studying her as if she were something only very mildly interesting that wasn't particularly important in the grand scheme of things. The glasses were just slightly too big for him, hair falling in his eyes. Those eyes gleamed briefly, wide and lucid and intelligent.

Whatever way Rei looked at this, it wasn't good. There was no way this child was anything as harmless as a projection, even a malevolent one.

'You're here,' she whispered.

Sousuke, or his younger self, looked steadily at her. 'And you,' he pointed out, 'aren't supposed to be.'

Rei met his gaze. 'I know that,' she said levelly. 'I'm not stupid.'

'Then why aren't you leaving?'

Rei decided to challenge him, figuring she might as well. 'Why haven't you run me through in my sleep?' she demanded. 'You know I'm here.'

'I can't.' There was something graceless in his face then, darkness flashing in his eyes. Rei saw the resentment there, his resentment at having to admit there was something he was incapable of doing. 'He wouldn't let me, anyway. I can't make _him _do anything.'

'Are you one of his memories?' Rei asked, just in case.

Child-Sousuke merely looked at her, and she reddened. 'The way he thinks of you, you're smart.' His face was vaguely bemused at that. 'He threw this memory away, don't you know that? I'm him as he was then.'

Rei understood. 'In Rukongai,' she finished. 'I see. He wasn't exactly happy then, was he?'

Child-Sousuke was silent for a while. Finally he spoke. 'Do I look happy?'

'Has he ever been happy?' Rei asked.

His eyes narrowed behind the glasses. 'You should know the answer to that,' he told her. 'Don't ask me about things you already know. It's pointless.'

Rei changed the topic. 'Why are you here?' she asked. 'Are you going to - tell her I'm here? Or -' For one terrifying moment, she had to hold her tongue and prevent it from saying his name. 'Him?' she finished.

Child-Sousuke shook his head, brown locks of hair moving with it. 'I can't. I won't.' He smiled then, and Rei shifted away from him on the bed. Beneath those full child's lips were his sharp canine teeth, tinged pinkish with what remained of blood. 'I don't want to give her anything she wants, and neither does he. She doesn't like you in here, don't you know that? She made it obvious.'

Rei nodded in comprehension.

'He can feel you, you know. He's beginning to feel you.' Child-Sousuke took a step forwards, the water rippling around his toes. 'Why else do you think I can see you?'

'I told you. I'm not stupid.' Rei breathed in deeply. 'Will he kill me?' she asked. 'If he finds out?'

It was a stupid question, a pointless question. _He already told me not to ask him things I already know, _Rei thought to herself.

But Child-Sousuke was scowling. 'Don't ask me that,' he snapped. 'It's like saying their names. Don't say things like that.'

That made Rei momentarily confused. 'I don't understand,' she said.

'I'll tell you how it is. One of them has to win, right?' His eyes were suddenly wide and intelligent again, instead of petulant. 'They can't - _not _fight. They have to. It has to be that way.'

_I don't understand, _Rei wanted to repeat, but the look in his face told her not to. It was a look she'd never seen on the real Sousuke's face. He looked plaintive, pleading her and willing her to comprehend.

_One of them has to win?_ she thought, and silently swore at herself for taking so long to get it. _Sousuke - and Kyouka Suigetsu. _Rei remembered Ichimaru Gin's lessons.

'Is it to do with -' She mouthed the word _Bankai, _and Child-Sousuke nodded vigorously.

'One of them has to win,' he repeated. 'Do you know how? Do you know how they fight?'

Rei shook her head.

'It isn't like with other people,' he told her. 'He's different. But you know that already. For one of them to win, they have to know.'

'Know what?' Rei asked, feeling frustrated but trying not to show it. Child-Sousuke opened his mouth, as if to answer her, and a disembodied hand closed over it.

Rei's heart jumped into her throat, and her chest cramped as if her angina was back again. She forced herself to breathe slowly.

The hand could have belonged to anyone. Rei realized soon that that wasn't quite true. It definitely wasn't Sousuke's. She couldn't feel the warm flush coming to her cheeks that always stirred whenever she glimpsed his lovely long fingers. These fingers were long too, but there was something off about them. The joints were just a touch too big, the hairs on the back of the hand below the knuckles fine and golden. It was a man's hand, but it wasn't beautiful, not like Sousuke's hands.

Child-Sousuke's eyes widened, looking simultaneously indignant and terrified. That increased Rei's sense of unease. This was part of Sousuke in front of her, and she'd thought that no part of Sousuke was capable of possessing something like fear.

The base of the hand tapered into a bony wrist, which misted off into mid-air. As Rei looked, she could see the air thickening around it. The space behind Child-Sousuke jellified and darkened, revealing a black shihakusho. The wrist elongated, a white sleeve hanging open and loose over the upper arm. The figure was wearing a captain's haori, like Ichimaru Gin's but with long sleeves instead of short.

The man which was staring at her at the end of it was like his hands. He was far below anything approximating beautiful.

His hair was a touch darker than her mother's blonde had been, the hair colour that Rei had always envied. It was longer than hers, falling straight and limp over his back and shoulders. That was the only thing even remotely attractive about him. The rest of the man in the captain's robes, from his crooked grin with its too-square teeth to his slightly pigeon-toed stance only just visible at the bottom of the shihakusho, was awkward and poorly-formed and ugly.

Rei wondered if it was because she'd spent so much time studying Sousuke's features, which were undeniably perfect. Would this man's appearance still grate on her nerves, like the sensation of a root canal operation behind the fog of anaesthetic?

The man's eyes narrowed. 'You don't seem to recognise me.' Even his voice screamed discord, seeming to whine at her.

'Why would I?' Rei pulled the sheets of the bed over herself. _How did I only just notice now that I'm naked? _she thought crossly. 'I've never seen you before,' she continued.

His eyes lingered on the shape of her body beneath the covers, in a way that was nauseatingly familiar. 'Looks like your memory's not what Sousuke-kun gives it credit for,' he commented.

Rei bristled. 'Shouldn't you be addressing him as Aizen-sama?'

The man snorted. 'Like you, you mean? Stupid bitch.' He sneered at her, pulling Child-Sousuke closer. Rei saw the fear flare in his eyes again.

'Give him to me,' she ordered. 'Leave him alone.'

That hand with its awkward fingers lingered at the man's hip, and Rei heard a long, drawn-out _shiick _of steel against steel. 'I've always wanted to do this,' he said, almost conversationally. 'Always wanted to pay back the little shit.'

Blood dripped onto the surface of the water off the tip of the Zanpakutou, protruding from Child-Sousuke's chest. The boy gasped and coughed, his glasses sliding down his nose. A spray of blood dotted his lower lip.

'Bastard,' the younger Sousuke hissed. 'You bastard - Hirako.'

Rei's eyes widened. '_You're _Hirako Shinji?'

'You've got me. Well, half-got me.' The former Captain of the Fifth Division pulled his blade out of the boy in front of him. Child-Sousuke fell to the surface of the water.

Pulling the sheets tight around herself, Rei reached forward to catch him, but it was too late. He had already sunk just beyond her reach, crimson clouding the water in his wake.

She glared at Hirako Shinji - or Sousuke's memory-projection of him - accusingly. 'That was pointless.' She spat out the words. 'He wasn't doing anything to you. You killed him unnecessarily.'

'I see. Don't believe in unnecessary killing, do you?' Hirako sheathed his blade without bothering to clean the blood still staining the steel. 'You can't have learnt that philosophy from dear Sousuke-kun.'

'He doesn't kill for the fun of it.' Rei ground her teeth. 'He kills people who get in his way. It's different.'

'Course it is.' Hirako smiled, exposing more tombstone teeth. 'Doesn't that mean he's just doing what he does to please himself?'

Rei couldn't think of a reply to that.

'What makes your Sousuke-kun and what he wants to do to the rest of the world so high and mighty?' Hirako glared at her. 'It ain't as if he's got a cause. Sousuke does what Sousuke wants. His killing doesn't have some kind of noble purpose. Everyone else knows it. You seem to be the only one who's slow on the uptake, dear.'

With that, Rei understood. 'Kyouka Suigetsu,' she stated. 'So you're not a projection.'

'Oh, very good, sweetheart. You get a gold star.' Hirako Shinji rippled and wavered, a mirage disappearing and reforming. Rei flinched. It was her Sousuke, a perfect copy of him. She could tell it was based on a memory, just as the simulacrum of Hirako Shinji had been. He was wearing a black shihakusho, the Fifth Division badge on his left arm. He was younger, appearing seventeen or eighteen at most.

The black glasses were sitting on the bridge of his nose, eyes sharp and intelligent and handsome behind them. His full lips smiled at her, thick locks of silky brown hair hanging in his eyes. His shihakusho was open slightly at the neck, exposing his throat and sculpted collarbones.

Even this reflection of him, a false and therefore inferior copy, had its effect on her. Rei felt her face heating up, and looked away. _I bet the girls were all over him back then, _she thought to herself.

'Oh, I see. Do you like this form?' Kyouka Suigetsu laughed in her female voice, and Rei flinched. 'Not any more, it seems.' She reverted to Sousuke's voice, that deep rich baritone. 'Is this better?' she asked.

Rei fixed a fierce scowl on her face. 'Why do you care?' she returned. 'And just for your information, I don't like it.'

A mock-offended expression crossed the false Sousuke's face. 'Really?' Then he smiled that wicked smile. 'Not even now?' His hands, smooth and beautiful and long-fingered, unfastened his shihakusho at the front. Only the pants remained, and Rei ran her eyes over his body before she could stop herself. Although the musculature there was slightly less, she admired his sculpted chest, trailing her gaze down his ribs. She wanted to move her hands over the planes of the muscles in his abdomen-

_No, _she told herself. _This isn't him. _

'Relax, darling.' The false Sousuke smiled at her. 'I'm just trying to make you feel more at home.'

'I'm not supposed to be here,' Rei stated. 'You said it yourself.' She pointed at the drifting dark blot of child-Sousuke, bleeding and submerged and rapidly sinking. 'He said it before you stabbed him.'

'I'm not your enemy.' Kyouka Suigetsu held out her - his? - arms.

Rei scowled. 'You've got a funny way of showing it. What do you want? Because whatever it is, I'm not giving it to you.'

Kyouka Suigetsu returned her scowl, Sousuke's full lips pouting. 'Who said anything about giving?' she returned. 'What does your precious Aizen-sama always say? You don't get something for nothing.'

'So you're offering me a deal?' Rei kept glaring. 'You're wasting your time.' Despite her words, she was curious. _What could I possibly have that she'd want? _she wondered, and realized immediately what Kyouka Suigetsu's goal had to be.

_One of them has to win, _she remembered. _She must want me to help her one-up him in some way. _

'That's exactly what I'm offering you. What did sweet little Sousuke-kun say to you before?' Kyouka Suigetsu folded Sousuke's arms over her chest.

'You must be awfully stupid. It's no wonder Sousuke hasn't put in the effort to make you Bankai,' Rei taunted. 'You seem to have made this assumption that I'm actually going to be interested in your deal. Even more than that, you seem to think I'm going to be inclined to listen to what you have to say.' She paused there. 'Every time I've been down here, you've tried to _kill _me. Whatever you want me to do, it won't be in my best interests. I know that much.'

Kyouka Suigetsu's eyes narrowed behind the glasses. 'Stupid girl,' she hissed. 'He's been trying for over a century to find my weakness. He's the one who's too much of an arrogant fool to realize I don't have one.' She spat. 'Being with him isn't in your best interests. You should know that much from his little performance last night.'

Rei blushed, and was instantly furious at herself. 'I've always known he could kill me in a heartbeat if he wanted,' she snarled. 'You honestly think I didn't know? I'd have to be blind, deaf, unable to sense his reiatsu. Even then I think I'd be able to work that much out.'

Kyouka Suigetsu waved a finger at her. 'Oh, no, sweetheart. You didn't quite get full marks there.' She smiled again with his mouth. 'You were almost right. If he wanted? _If? _Really, dear, it's a case of _when. _He _will _eventually grow tired of you.'

Rei wanted to hit Sousuke's Zanpakutou then, even if she was wearing his face. 'He won't throw me out,' she hissed, knowing it might be a lie and hating both of them for it. 'And I'm not interested in your deal. Goodbye.'

'But you haven't heard what I have to offer you yet.' Kyouka Suigetsu kept Sousuke's arms folded, and Rei had to force herself not to stare at his bare chest. 'You're like Sousuke-kun, aren't you?' she continued. 'I know what can sway your kind.' She stopped there, and whispered the word. 'Power, sweetheart. How would you like his power? _All _of it?'

Rei didn't speak at that.

_It's a trap, _she thought warily, gazing at the Zanpakutou with critical eyes. _It's got to be. _

'As you say, it's _his _power,' she responded. 'It's hardly yours to offer.'

'Isn't it?' Kyouka Suigetsu raised one of Sousuke's eyebrows under his hair. 'Winner takes all, darling. Everything of his is mine to offer once that title belongs to me.'

Rei wondered, momentarily, how long she'd been in the dream. 'What happens to him, if you win?' she asked casually, stalling, looking around.

'You needn't worry about him, darling. I'm keeping him at bay for the time being.' Kyouka Suigetsu waved a hand. 'It'd be terribly rude of him to interrupt us while we're talking.' She walked closer, sitting on the bed next to Rei. 'You must be tempted by it,' she said, voice deep and seductive. 'You could be queen of everything. You could be god of everything.'

'And what's in it for you?' Rei kept her voice sceptical, trying not to notice the tip of his tongue darting out to lick his lips. 'Why would you give me his power? Why wouldn't you just take it for yourself?'

'I would have thought that was obvious.' Kyouka Suigetsu gestured at the emptiness around them, the slow floating motion of the bed. 'As you can see, I'm not exactly free to leave. I am a strong Zanpakutou, but I can't abandon him, as much as I'd like to.'

'Zanpakutou are born with their Shinigami, and die with their Shinigami,' Rei recited. 'I see. So you wouldn't be able to use his abilities at all?'

'No. Aizen Sousuke's powers, the entirety of his reiryoku, the strength required to subjugate the Hougyoku as no one else could do -' Kyouka Suigetsu shrugged. 'All of that interests me only as a bargaining tool.' She leaned forward, and Rei shivered at the sensation of Sousuke's warmth.

'But what -' she began.

Her question was cut off by Sousuke's mouth against her own, those full lips pressing against hers.

Rei was too stunned to push Kyouka Suigetsu away. Sousuke's tongue delved past her lips, exploring the inside of her mouth. Then he - she - pulled away.

'I have a question for you, dear. Has he ever been submissive for you?' His teeth appeared in a smile. 'Has he ever let you be on top?'

Rei shook her head in slow confusion, and the younger Sousuke lay down next to her on the bed. Strong hands pulled her by the waist, pulling her towards him until she was straddling his hips, her legs apart.

His face smiled up at her, lips slightly parted. 'Would you like,' she breathed in his voice, 'to pretend I'm Sousuke-kun?'

_This is wrong, _Rei thought to herself. _This is so very, very wrong. _She knew that doing the right thing would mean moving away, as far away as she could, forgetting all mention of a deal.

'Is this what you want from me in return?' she asked. 'Just - sex?'

'Oh, no, darling.' Sousuke's hands were pulling the sheet away from her body, a sigh escaping his lips at the sight of her naked. 'This is an added bonus, if you like.'

It was hard to remember they weren't his hands. They had the same long lovely fingers. He was cupping her breasts in his palms, squeezing and caressing, and despite herself Rei felt a shiver of heat traverse her body before finishing between her legs.

She thrust her hips forward onto his, still-clothed, and felt his erection push against her. He groaned with desire, cheeks and lips flushed, the glasses slipping off his nose.

His hands were on her thighs, and eventually his right reached between her legs. As soon as his clever fingers began stroking her there Rei realized just how aroused she was by the sight of him lying submissive beneath her, beyond any sort of control. Then she looked closer at his eyes.

The pupils were dilated, a sliver of chocolate iris still visible. But the hard intelligence in them was gone. Sousuke wasn't there, and Kyouka Suigetsu was merely play-acting. The likeness of him bucking his hips against her, writhing on the bed, was nothing more than a likeness.

And it was an inferior one at that. Rei stopped desiring it, because nothing could possibly compare to the original.

His fingers were still moving inside her, but she felt nothing. Rei pulled her body away, saw the flash in Kyouka Suigetsu's eyes, waited for retribution -

And then she was falling, falling down and down until finally her body jerked violently, and she was lying twisted in white sheets.

Rei gasped, feeling her face flood warm. She sat up straight, and remembered how to breathe properly when she saw the familiar white walls. She was in Sousuke's bedroom.

Almost immediately she sagged against the pillows. Her body felt like the time she'd lost her virginity, but worse. She ached all over -

Rei looked down at herself. She could see the raw reddish skin at her wrists, the imprints of his fingers on her thighs the same colour. Her ribs and hips were marked too. The tender flesh was already beginning to bruise, purplish in places.

_It's to be expected, _she thought. She had felt how strong Sousuke was in that form. As far from gentle as he'd been, she'd known even then that he was holding back.

_What will it be next? _she thought to herself. _I didn't make any move to stop him. I - liked having him do it that way. What about next time? What will make me stop him?_

Would she bleed next time? Would he break bones? What if he decided to cut her, or choke her? Would she survive the experience?

What if he disconnected something, some vital nerve which would leave part of her irreparably paralysed once severed? Rei had a vision of herself lying on his bed, spine twisted, legs unable to move.

_What will it take, _she thought to herself, _for me to ask him to be careful with me?_

Then she realized. Of course, Rei knew the answer to that. It was never going to happen. The nature of her love for Aizen Sousuke, the god of Hueco Mundo, was very much conditional.

She couldn't love him as anything other than his ruthless self.

The bed moved next to her, and his warmth enveloped her, pulling her into his arms. 'You're awake, my dear.' Sousuke smiled that sharp intelligent smile of his, deep chocolate-coloured eyes looking down at her. 'Did you sleep well?' His smile turned into a smirk.

_He knows, _was her first horrified thought. _He's beginning to feel me. He knows. _

Rei forced herself to get a grip. 'I've been in better shape,' she answered honestly, letting the sheets fall away from her to reveal the marks.

Sousuke laughed at that. 'Then you didn't enjoy that aspect of me.' The inflection changed at the end, his voice questioning.

Rei shook her head. 'You were -' She had to use the inferior word, knowing it couldn't come close to encompassing him. Even now, with his hair hanging in his eyes, rumpled with sleep, the word in her head was inferior in comparison.

'Beautiful,' she finished.

Sousuke's mouth brushed hers at that. His tongue touched her lips, delving deeper at her sigh. Just as quickly, he lifted away, smirking again at her noise of disappointment.

'I have something to show you,' he told her. 'Please don't look so frustrated, delightful as that is.' His eyes flashed, amused. 'I think you'll enjoy this.'

He levered himself out of bed, wrapping a sheet around his waist, and Rei's own body slid into the depression left by his. Unwillingly, she swung her legs over the side, getting out after him.

He moved into the next room, and Rei followed him. On the far wall was a smooth black desktop topped with a monitor screen, similar to those in Szayel's lab. Rei watched as Sousuke's fingers made dancing graceful motions over the surface of the desk. Holographic keys flickered, and a picture appeared on the screen.

Rei recognised the Espada immediately, taking a little longer to register the identities of the Shinigami and the figure in white. 'Abarai Renji and Ishida Uryuu,' she stated. 'Why are they fighting Szayel Aporro Granz?' She looked at Sousuke, the paranoia speeding up her pulse again. 'You said I could kill them,' she accused, realizing too late how uncomfortably like a petulant child she sounded.

Sousuke chuckled. 'And so you shall, my queen. Do you doubt my timing?' He returned her stare. 'You don't think it's a little more than slightly coincidental that I should give my permission for an Espada to engage in this fight, so soon after the arrival of four Shinigami captains in Hueco Mundo? Kurotsuchi Mayuri is heading in this direction. Whoever wins the fight between him and Szayel Aporro Granz is of no concern to me.' He paused. 'I did promise you the pleasure of taking Kurotsuchi's life,' he continued. 'I have, however, always found the Captain of the Twelfth Division particularly irksome. If he survives, you may kill him then. If Szayel is the victor, and goes on to finish Abarai and Ishida -' He laughed again. 'If that should happen, then I will have made a tactical error. Therefore it will not come to pass.'

Rei smiled at his arrogance. 'I see,' she said. 'And the other intruders?'

Sousuke merely looked at her expectantly. 'I was under the impression that your ability to sense reiatsu had developed to some extent,' he replied, a slight reproof in his voice.

Rei concentrated. As before, it was easier if she focused her sense _through _Sousuke, his body and reiatsu amplifying her own ability. 'I see,' she repeated. 'Kuchiki Rukia and Aaroniero Arruruerie will finish each other soon. Yasutora Sado was incapacitated by Nnoitra Jiruga, and is still alive. The Exequias are moving in.'

Sousuke inclined his head in a nod. 'Very good,' he told her. 'As you can see, I am continuing with my original plan.'

Rei struggled to figure it out, then realized. 'This is a purge, of sorts,' she said. 'You're removing all the lower-ranked Espada.'

'I am removing those which cannot hope to stand against captain-level Shinigami,' Sousuke corrected her. 'It would be impractical of me to retain Espada who will be of no use to me in the coming battle. I've told you before that I am a man of my word, Renata.' He leaned toward her, arms around her again. 'Those fools,' he murmured, 'are fighting for their lives. As always, they fail to look beyond and see the wider scope of things.' Rei felt herself being pulled against his body. She could feel his arousal through the thin sheet covering him, hard against her lower belly. Her body was still sluggish and aching, her thoughts still tinged with fear from the dream. Even those sensations couldn't stop the shiver of excitement that went through her.

'They fail to realize,' he whispered, 'that they are pawns acting as placeholders, part of a grander design. It is amusing, is it not?'

'Yes.' Rei could see the darkness in his eyes, saw the sharp points of it like the bloody teeth that had been in his child's mouth. Yet she couldn't stop herself desiring him, wanting him in all his sadistic glory. 'Yes,' she sighed, 'it is.'

Sousuke's mouth took hers. He lifted her, hands sliding over her naked body, pressing her against the wall. Clearly he, like her, was too impatient to move all the way back to the bed.

Rei could feel the sense of foreboding pressing at her, the dreaded knowledge that Kyouka Suigetsu was right, even as his mouth and fingers and body gave her pleasure beyond description.

_He will eventually grow tired of you. _

She had been naïve and stupid to believe that guessing the truth of his Bankai had been enough. Rei acknowledged what Kyouka Suigetsu had told her, and knew it to be true.

She could see it in him. Sousuke would use her in one of his games. Seeing it coming, even witnessing it unfolding in front of her eyes, would fail to change that. It was the way he was.

And Rei was powerless to stop it. She reached her climax, strangely heightened by the bittersweet taste of melancholy, and felt him shudder into her soon after.

She was powerless to stop any attempt he made to betray her, and she knew precisely why.

She could no longer love him if he did otherwise.

* * *

Oooh. In the words of Ryuk:

'Humans…are so _interesting._'

Oh, I forgot to say it before. Speaking of sexy Aizen packaging - I've finished my dA fanservice. It's my first ever fanservice (because male bodies suddenly look intimidating when I'm faced with the prospect of drawing them - :S) so you should all check it out and be honest (but nice) about what you think.

As for that document wallet Tousen gave to Szayel, supposedly on Rei's orders - all will be explained. I just thought I should say that so that no one thinks I totally forgot to mention it in this chapter. (Because I didn't.)

Shutting up now. (New Year's Resolution = Talk Less in A/Ns)


	64. Confessional

He's ALIVE. *happy dances*

Yes, I'm a bit of an idiot. But that doesn't matter.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 64

Confessional

* * *

_I have dreamt of a place for you and I_

_No one knows who we are there. _

_All I want is to give my life from me to you_

_I've dreamt so long_

_I cannot dream any more. _

**-Anywhere, Evanescence**

His first impression was pain, and a lot of it.

He couldn't remember anything, couldn't even think straight. There was just aching screaming pain, his eyes open and burning too with chloroform-scented halogen light.

_Fuck_, he thought, and realized it had escaped his mouth in a hoarse scream. _What the hell happened to me?_

Panic filled him then. He was helpless, he couldn't move, he couldn't breathe or think or remember what his damn name was, damn it all to hell -

The pain cut the panic short. It was gradually subsiding, contracting into a heavy throbbing ache in the left of his chest.

_Think, _he told himself, and it came to him then. _I'm Grimmjow. Grimmjow Jaggerjack. The sixth. _

He repeated it to himself a few times, giving it a chance to stick. It was immensely comforting to have an identity again. As it cycled through his thoughts, which were still delirious and confused, his memory slowly came back.

Grimmjow realized why he'd put it out of his mind, voluntarily or otherwise.

He wasn't supposed to be alive. He'd intended to die, and damn it, he'd thought he'd been successful.

He struggled to sit up. The pain flared through his entire body again at that, his vision threatening to flicker into black again. Grimmjow forced his eyes to stay open. He was an Espada, not some helpless injured kid.

Why the hell was he alive?

_Kurosaki didn't kill me_, he remembered. _Jiruga did._

Nnoitra had taken pity on him and ended it. Grimmjow's confusion increased as he remembered. He had felt Santa Teresa slice through him. Why hadn't it been fatal?

He had been trying to kill himself - because of what had happened with Amane.

Even his anger towards Aizen seemed muted now. Grimmjow looked around him. He was on an operating table, in some sort of laboratory.

_Who saved me?_ he thought. _Was it Aporro?_

No, Aizen wouldn't have let the Octava save someone who'd directly defied his orders. Or would he? Had the Shinigami somehow guessed what Grimmjow was trying to do, and ensured his survival just to spite him?

Grimmjow wouldn't put it past Aizen Sousuke.

'Fucker,' he muttered, and winced. Grimmjow looked down at himself. The cut had to have been straight, but the wound was puckered in places with stitching, wrinkled and reddish-black with dried blood. It stopped just short of his Hollow hole, lying parallel to the scar already left by Kurosaki Ichigo's Bankai. It looked like a twisted angry mouth, puffy red flesh either side of it.

'Grimmjow-san!'

Grimmjow recognised the voice, young and female and concerned. He tried to turn, and that was nearly the end of him. He fell back onto the operating table with a grunt.

'Hey - dumbass,' he huffed.

Amane's footsteps moved towards him, sharp and too loud in the brightly-lit room. 'Stop moving,' she told him. 'You nearly died.' Her voice caught on the last word.

Grimmjow obeyed her, blinking as her face appeared above him. Amane's eyes were wide and worried, the skin underneath them looking pale and bruised. Her lips looked bruised too, dark and swollen.

'Nnoitra-san just about cut you in half.' She bit her lip then, looking away from him. 'Szayel-san's given you stitches, he's done the best he can.'

Something about that sentence bothered Grimmjow. 'You say that like he's not coming back,' he stated.

Amane still didn't look at him.

'What's happened to Aporro?' Grimmjow demanded.

'There are Shinigami captains in Hueco Mundo,' Amane said. 'Szayel-san - is about to fight one of them. He might die.' Her eyes went downcast again, not meeting Grimmjow's.

'Captains?' Grimmjow's initial sluggish reaction was alarm. They'd all thought the intruders had been acting unassisted, and with good reason. The Gotei 13 would be unbelievably stupid to send their leaders into the enemy's base to assist in the rescue of a single human girl.

And up until now, that had been the case. Clearly something had changed. Whatever it was couldn't possibly be good for anyone on Aizen Sousuke's side.

But that hardly included Grimmjow now.

Slowly, hope began to plant its roots. One of them could kill Aizen, he thought to himself, looking up at Amane. He noticed her lips again, noticed the blood bright on the lower. Someone had made her bleed on the mouth, and it wasn't too hard to guess who it had been.

'That asshole,' he grated. 'Did he hurt you?'

Amane looked confused. 'I don't understand.'

Grimmjow raised a hand. To his disgust, he noticed the beginning shadows of bruises on her throat and jaw, greyish-lilac in the white light of the laboratory. His fingertips brushed her face. 'Aizen,' he managed.

Amane smiled, obviously trying to be comforting. 'Please don't worry about me, Grimmjow-san,' she replied. 'This is nothing compared to -'

'You didn't answer my question.' Grimmjow didn't pull his hand away. 'Did he hurt you?' he insisted.

Amane hesitated, and Grimmjow saw the lie in her eyes before she spoke. 'No, of course not,' she said. 'Aizen-sama has been nothing but kind to me. I was clumsy and slipped in the shower this morning. The tap -' She gestured to her neck, wincing.

Grimmjow wanted to demand the truth from her, but held himself back. It was the same as his attempted suicide, the way he'd chosen a fight to the death rather than doing it by his own hand and admitting the truth of it to everyone.

Sometimes dignity was all you had left.

'He won't act that way forever,' he compromised.

Something flashed in Amane's eyes, too briefly for Grimmjow to tell what it was. 'I know,' she answered. 'That was why I got Szayel-san to bring you back.'

Grimmjow blinked. 'It was you?'

Amane nodded. 'I owe a lot to you, Grimmjow-san,' she murmured. 'I've said it before. I couldn't watch you die.'

'Did - Aizen - let you?' Grimmjow asked.

Amane shook her head. 'He hasn't said anything to me yet.' She chewed her lip again. 'Do you think he'll be angry with me?'

'Shit,' Grimmjow muttered. 'You shouldn't have taken the risk.' He meant it.

'I had to. It was lucky Nnoitra-san didn't notice. He just ignored you once you fell down and started fighting Kurosaki Ichigo.' Amane met his eyes then. Grimmjow saw that stubbornness in them.

He was torn between wanting to cheer it on and wanting to give her a warning. He wanted her to stick it to Aizen somehow, but at the same time Grimmjow recognised the impossibility of that desire.

Being stubborn like that against him - he thought. He could still remember being forced on his knees by the Shinigami, having his tattoo cut out.

'Be careful,' he decided to say.

Amane's eyes softened at that. 'I will, Grimmjow-san.' Despite the sympathy in her face, Grimmjow could tell she was only saying it to placate him.

He moved his hand to the back of her neck, pulling her down so that she could hear what he had to say. Her eyes widened, and he could feel her trying to straighten away from him.

'Grimmjow-san -' she started.

'Quiet.' Grimmjow looked up into her eyes, saw that bruised mouth again. 'I mean it, Amane,' he said in a fierce undertone. 'Don't get yourself killed. Especially not for me.'

Her cheeks coloured in a slight flush. 'I'm not -' she began.

But Grimmjow wasn't finished. He knew he had to say it, because he might not get another chance. And he was damned if he was going to let Aizen kill either of them before he had the opportunity to tell her.

'Amane,' he said, using her real name for the second time in his life. 'I care about you.'

Amane bent down, warm lips brushing against his cheek. 'I care about you too, Grimmjow-san,' she whispered.

* * *

This chapter was short, yeah. But it came out this way, and I can't do anything about it. Chibi Aizen - I mean, my muse - controls these things.

Hopefully the next one will be longer. And thank you to everyone who is reading this and/or reviewing it.

Oh man - Rei's gonna break him. It's like an impending car crash. Oh God. I almost can't bring myself to watch. But I'm pulled in by sick fascination at the same time.


	65. Of Which We Never Speak

Errk. _Now _it's decided to be summer. So I'm sitting inside with about a litre of cold water, playing StarCraft and occasionally writing. XD

I've actually decided on an ending for this story. :O It's completely different to how I'd originally planned to have it end too. But then, I only decided to make Rei turn evil part way through the story - although it turned out I'd been subconsciously laying the way for that one.

Also: I'm starting another Bleach multi-chapter. This will be my first ever multi-chapter with no OCs. It's going to be an AiHina. I know there were people who were keen for me to do another AiGin after I wrote **Cerise**, but I already have the AiHina one started and I like the way it's turning out. I think Hinamori's an interesting character and she doesn't get explored enough in the canon. I hate how Kubo always portrays her as this helpless female without a spine. She's smart and strong and a goddamn Kidou prodigy, so she deserves more time in the limelight.

Anyways, the first chapter is up and published. It's called **Pet, **and is based on the song with the same title by A Perfect Circle. The song sums up their relationship pretty well, in my opinion. Listen to it, or even just Google the lyrics. It's kind of scary how many songs on an album supposedly about drug addiction (i.e. Thirteenth Step) make me think of Aizen.

As for this chapter: OMG, Aizen actually has a past. In Turn Back the Pendulum, when Shinji kept saying "I knew you were evil when you were in your mother's womb"…that weirded me out. Purely because I couldn't picture someone actually _conceiving _Aizen. (That sounds strange and gross, but you know what I mean.) I couldn't picture him growing up, coming from somewhere…essentially having a past. That would require picturing a point in time when he wasn't an evil master manipulator. (I kind of went with the theory that he just sprouted out of the ground fully formed, like a mushroom. A sexy evil mushroom.)

* * *

Aizen: Woman, I am…not a mushroom.

Me: Yes, I know. I wrote you in this story as having a past. You have backstory now. Deal with it.

Aizen: You'd better not turn me into an angsty anti-hero. I know all about what happened to Zuko.

Me: Don't worry, there's no danger of that happening.

* * *

I totally want to draw Mushroom! Aizen now, but I think Chibi! Aizen will kill me if I do. I don't particularly want to be stabbed in my sleep with Kyouka Suigetsu. (She scares me.)

In my opinion, this chapter is rather epic, even though it was quite difficult to write.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 65

Of Which We Never Speak

_

* * *

Don't fret, precious, I'm here_

_Stay away from the window;_

_Go back to sleep. _

…

_Count the bodies like sheep_

…

_Pay no mind what other voices say_

_They don't care about you_

_Like I do. _

**-Pet, A Perfect Circle**

The scent of jasmine and lavender was familiar to him now. Some would call it a pleasant fragrance, he supposed. Aizen had never cared for it. He remembered that smell from his childhood, not only real but inside his head as well. He had come to associate it with her.

Aizen sighed, eyes still shut. He could feel sunlight on his skin, sunlight which definitely didn't belong in Hueco Mundo, and as always it alerted him to the unreality of the scenario. He opened his eyes.

His Zanpakutou never failed to replicate every detail. The garden was exactly as he remembered it. Nothing had changed and nothing ever did. To be precise, nothing ever would.

He could hear the woman's laughter, far away from him. Even the distance was an illusion. Aizen knew he would catch sight of her soon, as he always did. This was, after all, Kyouka Suigetsu's most effective strategy. It was the closest she'd ever come to winning.

His Zanpakutou's illusion ability was truly unique. Of course, each Shinigami's Zanpakutou ability was. No two Zanpakutous had the same power. The only common characteristic uniting all Zanpakutou was the ceremony for the attainment of Bankai.

Essentially, the Zanpakutou would be forced into submission by the Shinigami, and only then would it reveal its Bankai's nature to its wielder. The nature of the battle itself was different for each Shinigami-Zanpakutou pair. Aizen was aware of the theoretical principle behind such an arrangement. Bankai was an ordinary Shinigami's most powerful - as well as his or her most secret - weapon. It certainly wasn't something to be given away lightly. In general, the Shinigami had to first force the spiritual entity of the Zanpakutou to materialise into physical form before attempting to achieve victory against it.

As far as Aizen knew, he was the only exception to that rule. A Zanpakutou's physical form was an expression of its true nature, and Kyouka Suigetsu had no single true nature to begin with. All he could discern with any degree of certainty was her gender, and even that was primarily based from conjecture. Even so, to Aizen his Zanpakutou had always seemed to embody the nature of a woman, a mocking female version of himself.

The laughter rippled through the sweet-scented air of the garden again, high and innocent and happy.

_Zanpakutou are born with their Shinigami, and die with their Shinigami. _

It had been on this day that he'd first seen her. The vision had been bright and lucid, a waking dream. Aizen had been a child, the same age Gin had been when he'd graduated from the Shinigami Academy after only a year. He himself had had yet to join, but even then he'd been aware of his powers. He had possessed a relatively strong level of reiatsu even as a child in Rukongai, and the possibility of becoming a Shinigami had occurred to him long before he had eventually killed his mother.

The woman's laughter was drawing closer now. Aizen could hear her talking, the words themselves unintelligible, a child's voice answering back.

Upon witnessing this scene so long ago, the scene that was going to unfold in front of him once again, Kyouka Suigetsu had first spoken to him.

_

* * *

It had felt like standing on a mirror. _

_He had stared down at his reflection, and seen everything he hated staring back at him. There were millions like him, he knew, starved helpless Rukongai children, the children that no one wanted. _

_He didn't need to be wanted. He wasn't like his mother, who needed cheap sake and the false promises of nameless men to live with herself. All he needed was himself, because he was better than her. _

_His reflection stared back at him, a boy of perhaps seven looking pitiful and pathetic and helpless, wide eyes looking up through slightly crooked glasses. It was enough to make him choke with impotent rage. _

'_Don't cry, Shinji-kun.'_

_He had looked up to see the girl standing in front of him. It was the one he'd seen in the garden. She was about his own age, clear yellow eyes gleaming out of a curious dark-skinned face. _

'_I'm not crying,' he snapped. It was true. He couldn't remember ever crying, ever needing to sink that low. He had vowed never to cry. He had woken in the night countless times to hear his mother's sobs. He wouldn't be pathetic like her. _

'_I can see that.' The girl drew closer to him, walking on the surface of the water. 'Only stupid people cry.' She wrinkled her nose. 'And I can tell you aren't stupid.'_

_He made no response to that. _

'_Do you hate her?' she asked. 'That woman?'_

'_Why do you want to know?' He wasn't in the mood to answer her questions. 'Go away. I want to be alone.'_

'_I know,' she said. _

'_Then leave.' He glared at her. _

'_I'd hate her, if I were you.' _

'_You don't know anything about me.' He went to turn his back on her. 'I told you to go away.'_

'_I know everything about you,' she said, her voice still high-pitched and childish but at the same time somehow old. 'I've known you since you were born.'_

_He had stared at her, saying nothing. _

_The girl laughed. 'Think. You know who I am.'_

_It hadn't taken him long. He'd been waiting for it to happen, the confirmation that he was special, ever since the idea of growing up to become a Shinigami had occurred to him. _

'_You're my Zanpakutou, aren't you?' he asked. _

'_I said you weren't stupid.' She smiled, the same mischievous smile he'd seen in the garden in reality. 'Did you know that we're allowed to choose?'_

'_Choose?' he repeated. _

'_Zanpakutous aren't like humans,' she explained. 'We're not like Shinigami either. You don't remember before you were born, do you?' He shook his head, and she went on. 'We see all the Shinigami that are going to be born when we ourselves don't exist yet,' she continued. 'Each Zanpakutou chooses the one that suits them the best. I picked you, because you were the smartest. And -' she added, 'the strongest.'_

_He caught on quickly. 'You chose me because I was better than all the others?' he asked, to confirm it. _

_The girl nodded, amber eyes dancing. 'Your name is Aizen Shinji-kun,' she said. 'And you're going to be the strongest Shinigami ever. No, even better than that. You're going to be a god someday. That woman's not worthy of you.' _

_Unwillingly, he felt himself begin to smile. _

_She held out one copper-toned hand. 'My name is Kyouka Suigetsu,' she said. _

_He paused before acknowledging her gesture. 'Zanpakutous aren't supposed to do that,' he said warily. _

'_Tell you our names?' the girl asked. 'You're right. Most Zanpakutous don't. They do it to test their Shinigami, to make sure the Shinigami's strong and smart enough to guess it on their own. Strong and smart enough to be able to wield the Zanpakutou.' She returned his smile. 'But I already know you're the only one strong and smart enough for me.'_

_He'd taken her hand at that. Like that, he had gone back to reality again, and disappeared from the garden, leaving the woman and the two children with her behind. _

* * *

Aizen could feel the memory drawing closer. The garden seemed to be pressing in on him. He bore it silently, knowing someone lesser would panic. All those years ago, he had been less than what he was now.

He was no longer a child. This memory no longer had any effect on him, and Kyouka Suigetsu was a fool to continue using it. Her best chance of success had been her first attempt, and she had failed then. She had no chance of winning this way now.

He could see the woman's back now. She was turned away from him. She was laughing, saying something to the dark-skinned girl child at her knee. Her fingers, long and slim like his own, were threading daisies in a chain.

The little girl screwed up her nose, yellow eyes flashing and catlike. She was holding a white lily in one small fist, giving it to the smaller boy sitting next to her. He had ash-blond hair, falling around his face and curling up slightly at the ends. He was only about three or four, and he gurgled happily, taking the flower from the girl and sticking the stem into his mouth.

The boy was the only one to look up at Aizen. He smiled, freely and without guile, dark grey eyes bright and intelligent.

Something rustled behind him. Aizen turned. It was the first time the dream had differed from his memory. He expected to see his Zanpakutou, wearing some illusion, behind him.

He saw nothing. The dream was beginning to fade. Clearly it wasn't going to run the full course of the memory this time. The white sprays of jasmine were beginning to dissolve into grey.

He glimpsed dark hair, a familiar tangled veil of it, as well as her reiatsu. That was something Kyouka Suigetsu had never been able to mimic before.

The dream faded into darkness then, and Aizen woke to the silent emptiness of his bedroom.

He wondered momentarily where Renata was. It was a novel experience for him, being left alone in bed the morning after. Then he recalled that she'd said something about viewing the battles from the monitors in Szayel's laboratory.

Aizen knew she had to have found Szayel's supposedly commissioned research project by now. She would be trying to discern whether or not it was possible. Perhaps she had begun work on it already.

She wouldn't hesitate unnecessarily. Aizen knew that Renata wouldn't allow an opportunity to strengthen her abilities - essentially, a gain in power - to pass her by. She was similar to him in that respect.

He had carefully scripted his plan for the Soul Society, and that was one of the assumptions he had made about Renata in doing it. The other assumption was that she loved him.

She had certainly said it often enough. Aizen had to admit, he had been curious. By its very nature, love was the softest of all human emotions, hardly one he would expect his protégée to be capable of exhibiting - particularly since she seemed to share so many personality traits with Aizen himself. He had wondered then if the soft human weakness might have managed, beyond all probability, to infiltrate even him.

So he had performed that private experiment, letting the words escape his lips while she slept, testing for meaning.

_Renata, my love. _

There had been none, as Aizen had expected. Once again, he was the intuitive researcher, the scientist with the hypothesis proven correct. She was devoted to him, and he felt nothing of the sort for her.

And that was as it should be. He had never been one of those who needed to be loved, and had never needed or wanted to return the love he was always freely given.

_Was_ she entirely devoted to him, though?

Aizen remembered. He had felt the shiver of it against him, akin to the struggle of fragile butterfly wings against the palm of a giant. In his inner world, where only his reiatsu was supposed to exist, hers had been there, struggling to breathe - to _exist _- against his might as always.

Kyouka Suigetsu had never been able to mask, or alter, her reiatsu. It was as familiar to Aizen as his own was. If she _had _been able to mimic Renata that way, surely she would have done it before now.

There was one obvious, yet blatantly unlikely, conclusion.

Aizen found that he was unwilling to accept it. It was no emotional knee-jerk reaction that affected his mindset. Instead, he contemplated how tedious it would be, if Renata had been some sort of dark altruistic martyr all along, another Ichimaru Gin, living for someone other than herself and seeking to betray Aizen when she believed his guard was down. It would be tiresome indeed to know that he had needlessly spent so much time and effort on her.

She truly was one of a kind, near perfection. She could think and reason on the same level as Aizen himself, her wit just as sharp, her willingness to abandon something as petty, fickle, illogical as morality. Had Renata possessed the power, _his _powers, she could have come close to godhood.

That would be all, though. Aizen knew that coming close was all Renata would ever be able to do, even in an ideal world. He sighed, leaning back against the pillows. How ironic, he thought to himself, that he needed her to be flawed in order for his last and greatest plan to come to fruition.

She was missing one crucial factor. She possessed that one very vulnerable, yet at the same time delicious, human weakness.

He smiled at the ceiling. In any case, it would all be over soon, and he would be in possession of a new world. It would hardly be a perfect new world, but Aizen intended to enjoy the process of moulding it into the perfection he desired.

There would be plenty of time to alter Renata's imperfection, if that was what he wished.

* * *

God, there were times when I wanted to strangle this f**king chapter. The end bit after the flashback took a long time - and multiple revisions - to write. I couldn't seem to strike the right tone. I finally figured out what it was. Aizen here is almost in a semi-fragile emotional state. He's pensive, but not in the "world shall soon be mine" way that he usually is. The first three times I wrote it, I kept thinking to myself that he was being OOC and the chibi Aizen in my head kept laughing at my efforts.

I think I've gotten it right though. I _think. _Damn it, why does he have to be so psychologically complex? Although I hardly think I'd be able to write this much about him if he wasn't.

Love him (as I do) or hate him, you've got to admit either way that Aizen is one of the most interesting personalities in Bleach. There's just so much there to explore (and some pretty decent eye candy too, might I add). He interests me enough to inspire a 160,000-word-plus story.

I could never write a 160,000 word IchiRuki. No, screw that, I could never write an IchiRuki _period. _I don't particularly have a problem with that pairing, and that's my problem with it. There's nothing particularly standout about it - it's so utterly predictable. I've even started referring to it in my head as the 'whitebread' pairing. It's just so bloody bland. Even IchiHime is better than IchiRuki. I can at least work up the energy to feel _something _about it, even if that something is incoherent spluttering rage.

Speaking of incoherent spluttering rage…usually I'm a nice person, too nice to write negative reviews unless I put positive things in there as well. But I read this absolutely atrocious AU fanfic that severely tempted me to flame. (I am proud to say I did not flame.) It was shittily written romance, both characters were OOC, and not only that, but it was AizenxLoly.

I mean, AizenxLoly. As a COUPLE. Not an Aizen-screws-with-Loly's-feelings thing, but an actual honest-to-God loving relationship.

…

Come ON. And Aizen was being sweet and romantic. God it sticks in my throat to type that. He even called her 'Vanilla' or some shit.

OH FOR FUCK'S SAKE. SOME THINGS DESERVE TO BE SMASHED IN THE FACE.

With a house brick.

Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I exposed you all to my pairing rant. Sorry to anyone who actually likes any of the pairings I attacked there. I'm a weird twisted child who absolutely adores gorgeous, sadistic sociopaths with no morality whatsoever. It stands to reason that I would hate anything even approximating a normal relationship. Let's see, the closest thing to a normal relationship in Angina/Symphony is the SzayelxHarribel side pairing, and they aren't even really in a relationship. And said almost-relationship is based on a feeling of solidarity with Rei, who is sleeping with the gorgeous sadistic sociopath who raped Harribel.

My brain is very dysfunctional. Goodbye. *slinks off into a corner after the longest A/N ramble ever*


	66. Faustian Bargain

Oh yes. The evil chapter. Not that this entire story isn't evil. And you should be able to guess by the title what goes down next.

Yes. I'm an evil person. I did warn you. (My favourite character is Aizen, for crying out loud.)

It's funny though, I think I'd annoy the crap out of him if we met in real life. Let's just say…strategy and planning…not my strong point. This is reflected in the way I play StarCraft. Basically my "strategy" involves making a zillion units of various types, sending them out to destroy everything in their path and cackling evilly while they do it. Hey, I finished another mission last night doing that. So there.

* * *

Aizen: *facepalm*

Me: What? Like your StarCraft _modus operandi _is any better.

Aizen: I'd like to see you play Protoss with that strategy. *sniggers* Now that would amuse me.

Me: Silence, alien scum.

Aizen: Do you want to fight me, woman?

Me: Ooh, StarCraft LAN match. Bring it on.

* * *

I mean, I admire everything Aizen does, and I _wish _I could be him (or do him…lol), but I'd never be able to. I freely acknowledge that. Seriously, it'd be like Loly Aivirrne all over again (whose name I've repeatedly misspelt throughout this story…sorry about that). She's like "ZOMG I love you Aizen-sama, do anything you want to me!" and Aizen's like "Your blind allegiance amuses me. Now go over there and die. And do it quietly."

Oh yeah, and there's lemon in this chapter. God, I actually feel sorry for Rei. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Because I just did.

Oh, and I drew a picture of me and chibi Aizen. If you feel like checking it out, visit me on deviantART. The link is on my profile. :)

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 66

Faustian Bargain

_

* * *

Mary had a lamb_

_His eyes black as coals;_

_If we play very quiet, my lamb_

_Mary never has to know. _

**-Lose Control, Evanescence**

His lips were against her neck. He was brushing slow, warm kisses along her throat, whispering in her ear.

'My time is coming, my dear,' he murmured, and Rei could hear the hidden laughter in his voice. He fell silent again. His tongue was dancing on the surface of her skin, and again she could feel the brush of his teeth.

She was unmistakeably aroused. How could she fail to be? She was in Aizen Sousuke's arms, belonging to him, possessed by him.

_Desired _by him.

They were sitting at the stool next to the piano. His hands were stroking her body through the thin silk shift she was wearing, cupping and squeezing her breasts. Rei squirmed, unable to stop the moan of desire that came out.

'So - today,' she managed. 'Today is the day you do it.'

Sousuke chuckled. 'Indeed it is, Renata.' His hands wandered down her sides, moving under her thighs, lifting her effortlessly so that she was sitting in his lap. Rei shivered, knowing she should leave, run, do anything but stay. But staying was all she was capable of doing.

'Today,' he murmured, 'I become king of everything. And you shall be my queen, if you so desire.'

Rei caught the inflection in those words, and her heart skipped a beat. 'What do you mean?' she asked, feigning playfulness. 'Why would I want to be anything but yours?'

Sousuke continued kissing her neck, and Rei could feel his teeth. She cried out as she felt him bite her, slowly and deliberately. He licked and sucked at the broken skin hungrily, and then finally lifted his mouth away. Rei looked down at him, saw his lips bright with her blood.

He smiled a wicked smile, and drew her closer. 'Your wishes have conflicted with mine before, have they not, my dear?' he asked, his voice husky. 'What if you could have the world for yourself?'

Rei felt momentarily nauseous. 'The world was never meant for me to rule it,' she said, half-dodging the question. 'I'm not a God. And besides,' she allowed herself to smile, ignoring the twist inside her, 'I could never best one.'

With that, she leant down to kiss him. Rei could taste her blood on his mouth, and she slipped her tongue between his lips. She knotted her hands in his thick soft hair, knowing she was losing him.

She was losing. He was beginning to know. And then she would be dead.

Unless, of course, she did the impossible.

Sousuke's long-fingered hands tangled in her hair. One of his hands slid up her thigh, lifting the silk away, fingers slipping between her legs. He laughed deep in his throat at the whimpers of pleasure she made as he stroked her there, and undressed her with the other hand until she was sitting naked in his lap.

Rei was powerless against him then. Even as he carried her to his bed, she couldn't distance herself from him, couldn't act on the feeling that she was allowing a man who would eventually kill her to make love to her.

He undressed in front of her, and she couldn't stop herself from wanting him, couldn't stop her smile and sigh of delight. Sousuke stood naked before her, smiling a smile of his own as Rei's eyes lingered on his sculpted god's body, his arousal framed in a dark soft bush of hair between strong thighs, his long sleek legs.

He knelt at the end of the bed, spreading her legs apart with his hands, sliding his fingers between her thighs again. Rei squirmed and wriggled her hips, hearing his laughter, feeling raw desire erase her hesitant dread. She wanted his beautiful body, wanted him inside her.

'Whatever would you do,' he murmured, 'if I were to leave you?'

'I'd - die,' she gasped.

Sousuke stood and then fell over her, finally joining her on the bed. He was on his knees, hovering above her on his hands. He smiled down at her, the curl of hair between his eyes hanging down to brush her lips.

'Indeed you would,' he told her.

She was ready for him, more than ready, and Rei felt one of his knees slide between her legs, felt him lower his hips down. She gasped as he entered her, more slowly than usual. He pulled out of her a little, pausing to smirk at her frustration, then pushed all the way in again.

Rei clutched his shoulders, letting out a moan of pleasure. Her body, at least, no longer cared if she was losing her mind. 'Yes,' she groaned. 'Oh God, yes, please -'

'That,' he said, voice husky with lust, 'is incorrect. There is only one God in this world.'

Rei felt his body slide against hers again, and she dug her fingers into his back. 'Lord Aizen - more,' she begged.

At that, he thrust hard into her. Rei could hear herself whimpering with need for him again, and again at the very last the melancholy caught up to her for a split second.

_Whatever would you do, _she thought to herself, _if I were to leave you?_

She couldn't say. Sousuke pulled out of her, lying next to her on the bed. His fingers danced along the side of her neck, and he lifted himself away from her, pausing only to kiss her on the forehead.

Rei could feel the paranoia quickening her pulse. 'Where are you going?' she asked, keeping her voice steady with an effort.

'Szayel Aporro Granz fell to the loathsome Kurotsuchi Mayuri, as I predicted,' he informed her, a trace of complacency in his voice. 'You watched their battle, I presume?'

Rei could feel the fog of physical satisfaction, setting in to cloud her thoughts. She shook her head, trying to brush the warm post-coital feeling away. 'I did,' she replied. 'I stopped watching when Konjiki Ashisogi Jizou ate him.'

Sousuke chuckled. 'Really? I never pictured you as squeamish, Renata.'

Rei looked him in the eyes. 'That,' she answered, 'was when you called me away to bed with you.'

'I see. So you chose to please God rather than satisfy your curiosity.' He smiled. 'A wise decision. Shall I fill you in?' He didn't wait for her to answer. 'Szayel attempted to use the body of Kurotsuchi's lieutenant to resurrect himself,' he told her. 'Szayel, of course, was unaware that Kurotsuchi regularly stores experimental drugs in Nemu's body. What affected him was essentially a paralysing agent, enabling Kurotsuchi to strike the killing blow.'

'So Szayel is dead?' Rei tried to understand how she felt. She realized it was primarily disbelief. Szayel with his scientist persona had never seemed like the type to fight. _I suppose that's why he lost, _she thought.

But it was more than that. Szayel's death had been planned by Sousuke. Szayel had had no chance from the beginning.

'You're not quite up to your usual standard today, my queen.' Sousuke smirked. 'Incorrect again. Szayel is dying.' He stopped for a moment. 'He will not survive for long without the aid of the Hougyoku.'

Rei looked up at him. 'Why?' she asked. She didn't need to say any more than that.

Sousuke raised an eyebrow. 'I would have thought that was obvious. Clearly, I need him for something.' With that, he dressed himself, leaving the room.

Rei could feel her heart sinking, heavy and cold inside her. There could be no mistake. He knew. It wasn't just subconscious any more.

He knew, or suspected at least.

Rei hugged herself, feeling gooseflesh form on her arms. The wake of her orgasm, the warm exhausted glow left behind by lovemaking, was gone. And she had no idea what Sousuke was going to do with her.

_It's obvious, _she thought. _I wouldn't be surprised if he needs Szayel to experiment on me or something. He's going to kill me. It's what I'd do if I were him. _

She wouldn't last long in Sousuke's new world. She couldn't see Sousuke letting someone like her, with the advantage she had over him, live.

_Whatever, _she thought again, _will you do?_

Suddenly the empty bed felt cold, shameful. Rei felt used, worn out, as if all along her mother had been right and all those nights she'd spent in Sousuke's arms had just been something dirty and disposable called sex. It was as if gold had turned into lead overnight. Rei felt like Cinderella after the ball, collapsed and ordinary again, surrounded by mice and the broken remnants of a pumpkin.

She stood up, dressing. Rei briefly considered heading over to Szayel's laboratory. She was intensely interested in the research project of his she'd found, although she doubted it would ever come to anything useful.

Harribel had handed the ordinary-looking document wallet to her as she'd left Grimmjow alone in the infirmary. 'Aporro was working on this for you,' the Arrancar woman had said, her voice toneless.

Rei had taken it silently, and only opened it later in the privacy of her rooms. She was astonished to find her side observation made reality, somehow more concrete by the simple fact that someone else had noticed it.

Her powers _did _grow stronger if worked through a mass and reiatsu. Rei had read through the pages, growing steadily more excited. It seemed he'd been trying to develop some way of giving her that amplification in a more permanent and accessible way than just getting her to stand near Sousuke or an Espada. She wondered when Szayel had noticed.

Initially, she'd just been curious as to why Szayel had been trying to develop what was, for all intents and purposes, a weapon just for her. Then Rei had cursed her stupidity. She'd known Grimmjow and Szayel were spending time together, cooking something up. And Sousuke wasn't exactly in Grimmjow's good books.

Clearly, they were trying to get her to stand against him and win.

Once Rei would have laughed at the futility of that idea. Now, in the light of her unique advantage, she considered it.

_I could beat him to the punch. _

The words filled her with a sense of horror and wrongness. How could she possibly do it? How did she dare to even consider it?

Would she dare? _Could _she dare?

Rei knew she needed more information before she could make a decision.

It felt wrong to try to sleep here, in Sousuke's bed, the bed that still smelt of warmth and sex and _him. _Rei left the room hurriedly, moving back to her own quarters.

She saw the couch she'd taken from Orihime's room, and laughed bitterly at the irony. How she had despised Orihime's pitiful efforts to resist the god of Hueco Mundo as his prisoner. And here she was, contemplating exactly the same thing.

Rei sat, reclining her head against the pillow. She couldn't stop the churning nausea in the pit of her stomach.

She couldn't do it. She didn't dare. If he caught her -

Then blackness hit her, with all the force of a punch to the face.

* * *

The sensation of falling overtook her, and Rei screamed. It felt as though all the different parts of her were falling at varying speeds. Her soft internal parts, her liver and kidneys and fragile troublesome human heart, were falling farther and faster and away from the rest of her.

There was only darkness. As the erratic thudding of her pulse slowed, Rei could think, even if only partially, and she knew then that she hated not being able to see what was coming.

She forced her eyes open. She could see sunlight, and sound and smell were all mixed up. There were insects, and jasmine, and a woman's laughter -

Rei forced herself hard away from that course, with an effort that wasn't entirely conscious. The notion that her logic and reason weren't entirely running the show frightened her momentarily, and then she relaxed.

After all, that was how it was in dreams.

Her trajectory slowed. Rei could feel herself lagging in the air, as if it were solidifying beneath her. Then she hit the surface of the water, and her senses were numbed with greyness.

At first she felt nothing. Then dream-physics kicked in, and her body remembered it was supposed to feel pain. Rei gasped, her body doubling over on the water's surface. She was winded, all the air gone from her lungs. It wasn't like before. The other times she'd been here, in his inner world, the water had always been water for her.

Now it was impenetrable.

Rei could feel its hard glassy surface against her cheek. It was rippling and moving under her just as real water would have, but she wasn't sinking into it. It felt decidedly odd, and more than a little unsettling. Why wasn't she sinking?

Rei remembered that Kyouka Suigetsu had been able to walk on the surface, and so had the younger Sousuke. Was it his awareness of her that was making it this way?

She didn't know.

'Hmm. This is certainly interesting.'

It was his voice, his younger lieutenant's guise. Rei sighed when she caught sight of him, even though she knew it was only a copy. He was as beautiful as ever. His chocolate-coloured eyes regarded her from behind his glasses, those soft lush lips curving into a smile. He was fully dressed this time, arms folded across his chest.

'I never expected you to come here of your own volition,' Kyouka Suigetsu continued. 'Although, maybe I'm lying.' Sousuke's face smiled wickedly. 'I _did _promise you the nearest thing on earth to godhood. I never expected one such as him - as you - to look away from that promise without a second thought.' His long fingers traced the kanji on the lieutenant's badge fastened around his arm. 'I'm curious,' she said. 'What made you change your mind, dear?'

Rei flushed. 'That's none of your business,' she said, her lips tight. 'I'm interested in the terms of your deal. That's all you need to know.'

Kyouka Suigetsu's eyes flashed momentarily, but she smiled with Sousuke's lips again. 'Terms?' she purred.

Rei wasn't shaken by that. 'You wouldn't give me his powers for nothing, would you?' she asked. 'This is just a guess, but I'm reasonably sure you couldn't make the exchange right now. You need him powerless. And my guess is that for that to happen, you need me.'

Kyouka Suigetsu nodded. 'Very good. Top of the class.' She smirked. 'Such a happy coincidence, don't you think? My best chance of defeating him is the only person who's ever managed to infiltrate another Shinigami's mind. It would have been so unfortunate if you'd been born ordinary, darling.'

'What do you mean by that?' Rei narrowed her eyes.

The copy of Sousuke stepped towards her. 'You're a very rare bird, dear. No one ever thought this was possible, did you know that? No one ever even considered it, that someone besides a Shinigami and his Zanpakutou might be able to enter that Shinigami's internal world - and thus interfere with the battle for Bankai. And the fact that it was you -' She sighed. 'Such a happy coincidence,' she repeated, almost to herself.

Rei forced the conversation back on topic. 'What do you want from me?' she asked bluntly.

Kyouka Suigetsu laughed. 'You're expecting something horrible, aren't you?' she asked. 'You think I'm going to ask for something silly out of a gothic fairytale. It's not your firstborn child, or your heart's blood, or some other dark romantic rubbish.'

'It's got to be something important.' Rei folded her arms over her naked breasts. 'What do I have to give you?' _My sanity? _she wondered. _My soul?_

'It's really quite simple, dear. What I'm asking for in return really requires very little effort on your part.' Kyouka Suigetsu moved even closer. 'All you have to do,' she breathed, 'is tell me what his weakness is.'

Rei's heart sank at that. She realized she'd had more staked on learning about this "deal" than she'd first thought. She hadn't really intended to agree to it, at least not straight away, but that assumption was belied by the leaden feeling in her belly, and the knowledge that the deal was no longer open to her.

'I can't do that,' she replied. 'He doesn't have one.'

Kyouka Suigetsu's eyes flashed again. 'Stupid girl,' she murmured. 'Of course he does. Nobody's perfect.'

Rei glared up at the copy, saw those eyes narrow, saw the full mouth tighten with displeasure. 'He is,' she argued.

'I see I can't convince you otherwise.' Kyouka Suigetsu sighed. 'Well, let's see.' Rei realized then that the first request had been a red herring. Kyouka Suigetsu had given up on it too easily. She hadn't really expected Rei to be able to give her some crucial piece of information, some flaw of Sousuke's which would enable her to foil him. It had been too obvious a question.

'Let me ask you something else, then,' the Zanpakutou continued. 'How does he feel - about you?'

Rei's eyes widened. She hadn't been expecting _that. _

Kyouka Suigetsu smiled seductively again, licking his lips. 'You can tell when he's lying,' she whispered, drawing Rei into his arms. Rei could feel his well-muscled body through the shihakusho. 'It should be an easy question for you. What does he feel - for you?'

Rei didn't understand. She was terrified of giving the wrong answer, and more terrified of getting it right. 'I'm - not sure if I can do it,' she gasped. 'I don't know if I can -'

'What do you think,' Kyouka Suigetsu murmured in that velvet voice, 'will happen to you if you don't?'

Rei knew the answer to that question all too well. Even so -

'I don't dare,' she said. 'He'll kill me.' Even that was only a half-truth.

'He will never know anything of this,' Kyouka Suigetsu told her, Sousuke's voice reassuring. 'Did you think I wouldn't make certain to keep him out?'

Rei buried her face in his sculpted chest. 'He already knows I can get in here,' she said, her voice muffled. 'He'll do it before I have time to decide.'

'Shhh,' he soothed her, stroking the back of her head. 'He won't. I'll never permit the idea to enter his mind.'

'You can do that?' Rei was astonished, and a little afraid. From everything Ichimaru had told her, she knew that a Zanpakutou couldn't directly influence the behaviour of its Shinigami. The fact that Kyouka Suigetsu was confident in her ability to actively prevent Sousuke from killing her -

_I am a strong Zanpakutou. _

'I can.' He was moving his hand in circles on her back now. 'I'm going to give you all the time you need, dear.' He chuckled. 'I'm nothing if not patient.'

Those long fingers stroked her back, dancing patterns on her naked skin. To her shame, Rei couldn't help her physical reaction. She moaned softly, a moan which gradually turned into a whimper as his hands crept over her shoulders, caressing and squeezing her breasts without her permission.

'I'll do whatever you want me to do,' Kyouka Suigetsu whispered. The whisper turned into a laugh at the end. 'There's no shame in this, dear. Remember, where we are isn't entirely real.'

Rei stretched up, hooking her chin over his shoulder, looking behind him. She could see Sousuke's wide white bed again, and she made her decision. There was no shame in it.

She had already given herself to a man who would dispose of her. She was damned already. Why not go all the way?

They fell onto the bed, and the false Sousuke gasped, tangling his fingers in her hair as Rei slipped her hands underneath his shihakusho, tracing the contours of his chest, exploring his body. 'I have a question for you,' she murmured.

He took her right hand in his own, kissing her fingers. 'And what might that be?'

Rei undressed him with her left, sliding the top half of the shihakusho away, feeling his muscled arms come around her and pull her tight to his body. 'I know what happens if he wins,' she whispered. 'He can use Bankai.'

'Yes.' The false Sousuke took her fingers into his mouth, licking and sucking them.

Rei ignored the tingles of pleasure, and forced herself to ask.

'What if you win?' she said. 'Does he die?'

'Would you like him to die?' The question was voiced lightly, almost nonchalantly.

Rei shivered, feeling him stroke his hands slowly down the outsides of her thighs.

'No,' she answered. 'I wouldn't.'

Kyouka Suigetsu looked up at her then. Rei could see the darkness that was in her and Sousuke. It seemed sharper in the Zanpakutou's eyes.

'Leave.' The word was spoken in her voice, not Sousuke's. Her own light soprano voice was coming out of Sousuke's lips, and Rei stared down at him - no, _her _- in revulsion.

Everything went black again, and she was falling down, far and fast, catapulted back into her body with a screaming thud.

***Inner world sequence ends***

Rei levered herself up, feeling her legs tremble. She was shaking. She was shaking and sweating and she felt weak and ill. Her clothes were clinging to her.

_I wish I couldn't do it, _she thought. _I wish I'd been born ordinary. _

She wanted to lie down and sleep dreamlessly, in the hope that it would all go away. But Rei couldn't. Sousuke was leaving for Karakura Town soon. She had to say goodbye.

She had to say goodbye, or it would look suspicious.

Rei walked slowly toward the door, feeling like an old woman. Nausea welled up inside her, cold and evil, and she swallowed, gradually making her way towards the throne room.

'Ya need a hand there, Amane-chan?'

Rei didn't even have the energy to feel surprise at Ichimaru Gin's presence. 'That - would be nice,' she managed.

The silver-haired Shinigami took her arm, supporting her waist with his other hand. He didn't touch her the way Sousuke did, polite and gentle and seemly but with an undercurrent of sexual desire. Instead he held her like an older brother, and for that Rei was grateful. She didn't feel desirable. She felt old and sick and jaded.

She definitely didn't feel like she was about to become the queen of everything.

'Thank you,' she told him.

'Aw, yer welcome. No need ta thank me.' Ichimaru laughed. 'After all, yer on yer way ta see me off, ain'tcha? An' Aizen-taicho, of course,' he added, as an afterthought.

Rei felt a ghost of a shadow of amusement that Ichimaru didn't even bother to mention Tousen Kaname. She laughed, an empty social laugh that felt high and brittle and graceless to her. 'And Aizen-taicho,' she repeated after him. 'Of course.'

'Ya feelin' okay, Amane-chan?'

Rei turned her head, looked up into Ichimaru's grinning mask of a face. She could see the glint of crimson eyes beneath the almost-closed lids. _Are you really worried for me_? she wanted to ask. _Or are you just playing a part, like how he's pretending he'll make me queen? Do you expect me to pretend too?_

All those questions were too dangerous to ask. Or perhaps they weren't dangerous enough. Rei decided to ask him the most dangerous question of all.

'Can I ask you something, Ichimaru-san?' She continued without waiting for his reply. 'You told me about Shinigami fighting their Zanpakutou to achieve Bankai.'

Ichimaru nodded. If he was surprised at her change of topic, he didn't show it.

'What if the Shinigami didn't win?' Rei continued relentlessly. 'What if the Zanpakutou defeated the Shinigami? What if -' she paused for a moment, 'the Zanpakutou killed the Shinigami?'

Ichimaru's grin dropped, just a fraction. 'I have ta say - I dunno, Amane-chan. It ain't ever happened before, ya see.'

Rei nodded, as if it were a helpful response. 'I do see,' she answered, winding herself out of his arms. 'Will you excuse me? I have to do something for Aizen-sama.'

Ichimaru's smile stayed in that half-shadow of itself, watching her move away. _I hope you have an insurance policy, Ichimaru Gin, _Rei thought to herself. _I hope you can make Matsumoto Rangiku love you again. There's a reasonable chance I'll betray your master. _

Sousuke would do it in her position. Rei knew that. But -

She just didn't know. That was an uncomfortable state of being for her.

She had to do something.

Was this a conscience budding inside her? Rei supposed it was. She couldn't just do it. This was as much a deadly chess game as anything else in Las Noches. And it was only fair to notify the other player of the commencement of the match.

Rei moved away from Ichimaru, only just out of his sight.

* * *

IT'S A TRAAAAAAAP

Just like Dancing Lessons. Oh God, I can't make the Admiral Ackbar joke in two different chapters.

This chapter was difficult. Very difficult. Kyouka Suigetsu, stop trying to rape Rei. It's…a little weird. That's why I can't let it happen.

* * *

Aizen: She is using my sexy body with which to do it. Therefore it is not, and will never be, rape.

Me: So you don't find that creepy in the slightest? The fact that your _female _Zanpakutou is wearing your body and trying to sleep with the closest thing you've ever had to a significant other? Oh, and you might want to watch where you fly your Carriers.

Aizen: You…destroyed my Carrier. With…only seven Scourges.

Me: I did. Looks like you need to construct additional Pylons, bitch.

Aizen: This transgression shall not go unpunished.

Me: You wish.

* * *

Me and chibi Aizen are playing a StarCraft LAN match inside Hueco Mundo, inside my brain. This is the kind of weird person I am. (Because Aizen would totally play Protoss, which I suck at. If any of you are StarCraft players you'll get what I mean.)

(I'm playing Terran, by the way. But thinking about becoming more of a Zerg player.)

(I'll put my geek away now.)

(And you should all read my AiIchi fic, **Dancing Lessons, **which I've just updated. THERE IS HAWT SEXY YAOI LEMONYNESS. IT IS SEXY. I NOSEBLED.)

(shameless self-promotion for the win)


	67. Lilio Candidior

I'm assuming you all know what the title of this chapter means. Yes, I know it was used in the manga to describe Byakuya. But it will make sense, provided you can translate the Latin, by the time you reach the end of the chapter.

Writing this chapter felt more than a little weird. It almost feels OOC. It might not look it to you guys, but I know how this story's going to end. So it definitely feels weird to write this. I almost miss having no idea and just going with the flow.

Speaking of weird…

Holy crap I have 16 pages of Aizen screen captures which I took myself while watching Bleach.

Oh my God. I am such a nerd. I deserve to spend the rest of my life in a cardboard box of shame.

Oh, and…AIZEN'S PLAN makes a reappearance here.

Just sayin'.

And me shooting AiHime in the face in this chapter. (I don't like Orihime. She doesn't deserve Sexy-sama. I facepalm in her general direction. I actually have an idea for an AiHime, but it involves me fixing her so that she doesn't piss me off. Just like they fixed Light Yagami by making a better version - a.k.a. Aizen. I shall create Orihime Version 2.0.)

I don't mind AiHime, really. I actually find it quite sexy. But I don't like Orihime. Just letting everyone know. (In case you didn't already.)

Warning: there's an epic canon spoiler in this chapter. Regarding Aizen and Gin. If you don't mind me ruining it for you, then please go ahead and read. Otherwise...skip it and be slightly confused? I dunno.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 67

Lilio Candidior

_

* * *

Oh, so many ways for me to show you_

_How your dogma has abandoned you_

_Pray_

_To your Christ, to your God_

_Never taste of the fruit_

_Never stray, never break, never_

_Choke on a lie;_

_Even though he's the one who_

_Did this to you,_

_You never thought to question "why"?_

…

_Talk to Jesus Christ_

_As if he knows the reasons why. _

**-Judith, A Perfect Circle**

On the surface, Aizen knew, it might look as though he were beginning to lose control. To Renata, it would look as though she now had an opening.

But unknown to her, everything was going according to plan.

He sat in his throne, the king regarding his court, the court which was now diminished by more than a few.

Aaroniero Arruruerie had fallen. Zommari Leroux had fallen. Nnoitra Jiruga had fallen.

Aizen smiled to himself. He had given their existences purpose, even though that purpose was merely to further his own design. Even a selfish purpose such as that had to be better than no purpose at all.

As to whether or not his intervention had, in any way, brightened their short lives? Aizen cared not. They were his toys, things to toss aside once they either ceased to amuse him or ceased to be useful.

Renata's rescue of Grimmjow Jaggerjack hadn't been foreseen by Aizen, but it didn't matter. In truth, Aizen had been more than slightly displeased by Grimmjow's fight with Kurosaki Ichigo, but both had survived. Ichimaru Gin would be disposed of soon, and he had always been the one to wear the smiling mask in Aizen's court. Grimmjow could be his jester in his new world.

Grimmjow had always amused Aizen, especially recently.

How pleasingly ironic it was. Grimmjow was clearly hopelessly in love with Renata, and had come to acknowledge his feelings for her. Aizen doubted the Sexta Espada would have been capable of such an emotional catharsis in his original Adjuchas form.

As an Adjuchas, Grimmjow Jaggerjack wouldn't have hesitated to devour Amane Renata's soul.

Aizen had given Grimmjow the ability to reason, to feel such a strength and complexity of emotion. And yet Grimmjow loathed him absolutely. Essentially, Aizen had shown him what it would be like to be human, and then taken the possibility away. It was the kind of torture he enjoyed the most.

And he would achieve victory over Kyouka Suigetsu in the same way. He would allow her to glimpse the possibility of winning, and then he would take it all away again.

Aizen's lips curved in another smirk of pleasure. His Zanpakutou had done nothing but mock and spite him his entire life, just as Hirako Shinji had. He had taken immense enjoyment out of finally defeating the man who had so foolishly believed himself to be Aizen's superior, and that enjoyment would be compounded tenfold when Kyouka Suigetsu finally knelt to him, offering up her Bankai.

He had treated Renata coldly in the bedroom this morning. Doubtless she now felt vulnerable, used, powerless even, the feeling of one in a position of power soon to be usurped. Aizen knew all about that particular insecurity of hers. She had given her virginity to him upon correctly guessing the secret of his Bankai, but had clearly revised her opinions of him since then. By now, she was surely aware that there was nothing to bind Aizen securely to her, nothing to stop him from growing tired of her and taking another lover.

He had dropped clues that he was beginning to develop awareness of her little secret, and that would surely force her into action. She would be feeling conflicted about it, feeling as though she were betraying him. She would delve deeper into his inner world, and she would encounter Kyouka Suigetsu.

It was unlikely his Zanpakutou would give Renata a warm reception. There was the beauty of it. The very nature that had made Kyouka Suigetsu condescend to him all these years, refusing to submit, would be what finally brought her to her defeat.

And that defeat would occur at the hands of a mere human.

Afterwards? Aizen wondered whether he would keep Renata. She would have to continue to please him, of course, in every way as she was doing now. If not -

Well, she would go the way of all his unsatisfactory lovers. He could still use her physically if he wished. He had done that with Loli Aivirrne for a time, until she had ceased to please him even in that way.

He glanced at the girl. Her face was carefully expressionless as she sat in the throne next to his, but Aizen could see the dark circles under her eyes. It was working already.

Soon he would have Bankai, and Kyouka Suigetsu would be his. As would the rest of the world.

It was necessary that Renata had no awareness of his plan. After the fact, it wouldn't take her long to figure it out, Aizen knew. She would work out that his 'defeat' at the hands of Soul Society and Kurosaki Ichigo had been nothing but a staged event, and then he would no longer need to conceal it from her.

He noticed that one hand was behind her back. She was holding something. Aizen wondered momentarily what it was, then stopped regarding the matter as being one of any importance. He would know soon enough. She could hide nothing from him.

And neither could Inoue Orihime, not that she ever made any real effort to.

Aizen smiled down at her, the smile of the crimson king in one of his rare benevolent moods. Starrk was standing away from her, looking dispassionate. Aizen knew that the Primera Espada disliked being dragged into the affair with the human woman, but that was no matter. It wasn't as if he cared for the likes and dislikes of any of his Espada.

The human girl was staring up at him, eyes wide and terrified. Aizen glanced at Renata again. Even Orihime's fright was having no effect on her. She was still keeping her face carefully expressionless, not even looking tempted to gloat.

Aizen stood, leaving his throne, walking towards Orihime. He saw her shiver at the weight of his reiatsu. 'Welcome back, Orihime,' he said, suppressing his chuckle at the fear in her eyes. 'What's wrong?'

Renata was still showing no emotion whatsoever at the scene unfolding in front of her. His intention was to build on what he'd done in the bedroom, pressure his queen just a little further.

'You look so troubled,' he said, allowing some of the seduction he'd reserved for Renata to creep into his voice.

Orihime looked as if she was expending an immense amount of effort, forcing herself not to cringe away from him. Aizen drew his lips close to hers, stroking her cheek, seeing gooseflesh form under his fingers. 'Please smile,' he murmured. 'When the sun isn't shining, everyone feels depressed.'

Still, Renata's reiatsu didn't flicker or falter against his own. Aizen drew Orihime into his arms, feeling her insignificant reiryoku cringing and shrinking and struggling to move away from his own. 'All you have to do,' he breathed, 'is smile, and wait here a little while. Until -'

He was expending words on her that he should have been speaking to the queen of Las Noches, and at last Aizen felt her reiatsu spike, could feel Renata's barely concealed panic and jealousy and hatred towards Orihime.

'- we destroy Karakura Town,' he finished.

He released the girl, and she stared up at him in horror. 'Destroy - Karakura Town?' Her voice came out in a barely audible whisper.

This little charade of his had been amusing to begin with, but now Aizen had grown bored. Threatening Inoue Orihime, even subtly, lacked charm and failed to appeal to him. She lacked the intelligence to offer any resistance to him. There was no real opportunity to push her into submission because she was already there. There was no need for an endgame.

Aizen remembered considering taking her to bed with him, and now looked upon her with distaste. She was physically attractive, yes, but irritatingly empty-headed. In that respect, she was no different to any of the other humans he'd slept with in the real world.

She lacked the intelligence to be his partner, even for a trivial night of meaningless sex.

'That is correct,' he answered her. 'We are about to destroy Karakura Town and create the Ouken.' Aizen turned to the Shinigami at his left. 'Kaname.'

The dark-skinned Shinigami inclined his head. 'Yes, Aizen-sama?'

'Tenteikuura,' Aizen ordered. He didn't need to use courtesy where Kaname was concerned. The man was as blind physically as he was mentally. Kaname would blindly follow Aizen wherever Aizen chose to lead him, and that was the way it would always be. Except, of course, at the very last, but then he would no longer be usable.

Renata had done her work well. Aizen had already administered the drug, and this was the last day Tousen Kaname would live.

He was no longer necessary.

'Yes, Aizen-sama.'

Aizen could feel the confusion in Renata's reiatsu. She had had no awareness of this. He doubted she knew what was coming, and that was exactly the way it had to be.

Kaname cast the Kidou, and a square of pale violet light appeared directly in front of Aizen. Aizen began to speak, knowing they would all be cast into despair soon, knowing they would be unable to leave until it no longer mattered, and only regretting that he would be unable to see the confounded expressions on their foolish faces.

'Can you hear me, my dear intruders?' Aizen paused for effect, smiling at his next words, the blatant lie amusing him more than anything else. 'I applaud you,' he continued, 'for having defeated so many of my Espada. I shall reward you by telling you our plans. We are about to enter the real world.'

He stopped again, knowing that would confuse and upset them more than anything else. They truly believed that Aizen was incapable of doing such a thing until Inoue Orihime 'restored' the Hougyoku with her pitiful Rejection ability.

'I will leave Inoue Orihime in the Fifth Tower,' Aizen continued. 'You may take her back if you so desire. I am finished with her.'

Orihime's eyes widened even further. It was only right, Aizen thought, that beings as worthless as those who had dared to oppose him came to take back their -

What was the word Ulquiorra was so fond of using?

Trash.

'Her abilities truly are wonderful,' Aizen lied. 'Her power to reject all manner of phenomena greatly oversteps the boundaries of what any human should be capable of. The commanders of Soul Society's military power understood this.' He smirked again. 'As such, kidnapping her would make Soul Society feel threatened. As a result of this, Soul Society strengthened its own security, rather than focus on the human world.'

Renata's reiatsu relaxed a little at that, the tension decreasing. She knew about this. Aizen had told her. He had to admit that keeping the secret of his grander plan from her was tiresome. She possessed the intellectual capacity to truly appreciate the genius of it. Aizen doubted even Ichimaru Gin would be able to truly marvel at the cleverness of it.

'Then,' he went on, 'she would become the bait that would lure both the ryoka, the Substitute Shinigami, and the Captains of Soul Society to Hueco Mundo. I then proceeded to lock all of you in.'

If Szayel had done what Aizen had asked of him, the Garganta opened by Urahara Kisuke would all be closed by now.

He signalled to Kaname, and the Shinigami released the reiatsu he had been using to hold open the Kidou. The square of light disappeared into thin air, and Aizen turned to look at Inoue Orihime.

The look of fear in her eyes, the fear of him, was no longer even a source of amusement. Neither was her body. Aizen ran his eyes cursorily over the curve of her hips through the white dress, the swell of her full breasts, and failed to feel anything like desire.

He felt only disinterest.

'Take her away,' he said to Coyote Starrk.

The Primera Espada nodded, expressionless just like Amane Renata. He took the girl by the shoulder, and both of them disappeared in a Sonido.

At last, the staged performance was over. Aizen glanced back up at his queen, still seated in her throne. He was leaving her now, and wouldn't see her again for some time.

It was only right to say goodbye. Besides, Aizen knew he had come close to pushing her too far. Renata had to be in a delicate state of internal emotional balance. She had to mistrust him, even fear him a little, enough to seek out his inner world again, but her love for him had to remain charmingly obsessive, just as it was.

Aizen moved into a Shunpo, reappearing in front of her. Her eyes flickered at his presence, and she opened her mouth to speak.

Aizen silenced her, pressing a finger to her lips. 'Ulquiorra Schiffer is in the Fifth Tower,' he told her. 'Please do not interfere.'

He felt her nod. To Ichimaru and Kaname, Aizen knew, it would look as though he were being cold towards her. In reality, Renata was acknowledging what he'd told her before.

She knew this was predetermined. Kurosaki Ichigo was almost, but not quite, ready to fight his Cuatra Espada and win. Aizen knew that state of being would trigger what he wanted it to trigger. Inoue Orihime would be out of his way, and so would Ulquiorra, whose veiled defiance of the queen of Las Noches had grown tiring.

Renata knew, but she did not know everything. Soon that would change, but only when Aizen needed it to.

'I will return soon, my queen,' he told her. 'And you will be queen of more than Hueco Mundo.' He kissed her forehead. She couldn't know that he was conscious of her arrival in his inner world, not yet. She could suspect it - that would add to the subtle pressure he was placing her under - but she could not know for sure.

Not yet, in any case.

'Yes, Aizen-sama.' She was speaking softly, almost in an undertone.

Aizen nodded, smiling benevolently again down at her. He turned back towards the Garganta he had prepared, preparing to leave her.

'Wait - Aizen-sama.'

Aizen looked at her. Renata was rising out of her throne. One hand was still behind her back, her eyes downcast.

'I have something for you,' she said quietly.

'Is that so?' Aizen kept his own voice as muted as hers.

Renata stepped forward, stepping into his arms. She leant up, kissing him on the cheek. 'Something for you to remember me by,' she whispered. Her hand came out from behind her back, and pressed something into Aizen's right palm.

She moved away from him, seating herself in the throne he'd made for her again.

Aizen looked down at it, and remembered the garden.

Her powers had improved, that was certain. She could synthesise colour and even texture now with her abilities. Her creation wasn't perfect. The stem felt waxy, more so than the genuine article, the white petals a little too heavy.

Aizen raised the artificial lily in his hand to his nose, where neither Ichimaru nor Kaname could see. As he'd expected, there was no scent.

He met his queen's eyes.

She stared back at him, intelligent and silver-grey.

Why? This was stupidity, foolishness, irrationality. Why would Renata want him to be aware of what she was doing? Why, of all things, would she give him a sign?

He was supposed to be unaware - although slowly gaining subconscious knowledge of it - and she was supposed to believe that he was unaware.

'Please,' he repeated, 'do not interfere.'

Aizen walked slowly back to the Garganta, moving into it ahead of Ichimaru and Kaname. He let the lily fall away from his fingers, let its whiteness be consumed by dense, coagulated dark.

* * *

Rei, don't f**k with the plan. Don't make Aizen-sama angry before he goes off to conquer the world. Who knows, if you make him angry enough, he might not come back afterwards…

I have plot twists coming out of my ears. If I screw up this plotline, I am going to be very annoyed at myself. It's more complex than bloody Inception. Which I was originally inspired to write this by.

Well, that and Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland.

This is mostly canon. And I know Aizen's all like, 'Las Noches are belong to you, Ulquiorra,' before he leaves. But I couldn't be bothered doing that. Rewriting canon is really boring. Like, _really_ boring. And I'm pretty sure it's boring to read too. So I tried to just take the dialogue, and I even edited that a bit. I don't want to bore anybody before the plot twists.


	68. Once Upon Atrocity

Ooh…Aizen, you stole Grimmjow's "ray of moonlight". I'd watch myself if I were you.

It'll make sense when you see the lyric. (Oh, and just a warning: if anyone ever actually gets curious and looks up the music I post the lyrics to in this story, I should probably let you know that Cradle of Filth can be kind of…explicit. And I don't just mean sexually.)

Just lettin' ya know, so I don't unwittingly corrupt any innocents. (Of course I'd never post any explicit lyrics in here, obviously.) If there's any still reading this, that is.

Although compared to what I have planned for **Pet, **Angina/Symphony's starting to look pretty tame in my head.

Oh yeah, and I've kind of blatantly disregarded the Hell stuff in this story. It's not technically canon anyway, or something like that. So I hope that's okay.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 68

Once Upon Atrocity

_

* * *

Poured in my arms_

_When my daughter's eyelids closed_

_I swore to slaughter those_

_Who stole my ray of moonlight. _

**-Nemesis, Cradle of Filth**

He'd been left behind, left out of the fighting that was to come. Before he'd met Amane, Grimmjow would have been furious. He would have hated and resented the implication that he would be of no use to Aizen, that he was essentially weak.

It surprised him a little, reflecting on that. Had she really changed him so much, so quickly?

Indirectly, he knew, Grimmjow had been the one to bring her here. Coincidence, or fate maybe if you believed in that shit, had led her to see him that night, led her to follow him and Tousen back to Hueco Mundo through the Garganta. It was his fault she was caught up in something too big for her to handle.

It was his fault Aizen had raped her.

Grimmjow didn't believe for one second that it had been consensual. He ignored the sneaking voice in the back of his head telling him that that was just how he _wanted _it to be.

Grimmjow tried to picture her allowing Aizen to do that to her of her own free will, and couldn't. He recalled those wide, sharp, horribly naïve eyes. Aizen had to have coerced her into it somehow.

He could feel reiatsu, strong pulses of it, from the Fifth Tower of the palace. He recognised the feel of Ulquiorra's reiryoku, heavy and cold like something which had lain buried for centuries beneath a rock, and someone else's. It didn't take Grimmjow long to figure out who.

Kurosaki Ichigo. Evidently he'd survived his fight with Nnoitra, and Grimmjow wondered if the Quinta was dead now. He hadn't exactly been friends with Nnoitra, but they'd shared similar ideals, respected each other. Nnoitra had recognised his feelings for Amane. In truth, Grimmjow had expected some sort of retribution from the other Espada for showing such a personal kind of softness, but he hadn't been given any.

Was it out of sympathy? Grimmjow could still recall how Nnoitra, as the Octava, had persistently challenged Neliel Tu Oderschvank, despite her repeated refusals to fight him. Nnoitra had made his resentment of the then Tres Espada plain for all to see, had never shown any reluctance to explain his motives for hating her.

_A female shouldn't stand higher than a male in battle. _

And yet…he had never made any such move to harass Tia Harribel in the same way.

Grimmjow understood, as no one else did. Nnoitra had been smart enough to hide his feelings, so that no one could use them to grab him by the balls. He'd had the courage to do what Grimmjow hadn't been able to do. He'd removed his weakness from the picture.

Nnoitra had, at the last, recognised what Grimmjow had been aiming for, and tried to help him achieve it. And then Amane had saved him.

Amane.

Fucking hell.

She'd be the death of him if Aizen wasn't.

Grimmjow moved into a sitting position, forcing himself not to wince at the pulling of the stitches. Regeneration could only do so much, he knew, and his had been limited ever since Aizen had made him into an Arrancar. He decided to stand. Maybe Szayel was around.

It was odd, how this had all turned out. Not so long ago, Grimmjow would have butchered anyone who'd suggested that he might form anything like a friendship with Szayel Aporro Granz. Despite himself, he was glad that Aizen had - for whatever reason - chosen to save the Octava.

The scientist had only entered the laboratory to attend to Grimmjow's stitches twice. Both times he had been sharp, irritable even. Grimmjow knew why. No scientist liked to admit, even to himself, that he was in the dark. Szayel had about as much idea of what was going on as Grimmjow himself did.

What the hell _was _going on? From the limited snatches of information Grimmjow had managed to obtain while in here, the Arrancar and lower Espada were dropping like flies. There were Shinigami captains in Hueco Mundo, in Aizen's territory. And now Kurosaki was fighting Ulquiorra.

Was Aizen's grip on the reins starting to loosen?

Grimmjow exited the laboratory, moving into the computer room. Sure enough, Szayel was there, but not alone. Seated next to him was Amane, their heads bent over some sort of document. They were speaking in undertones, and Grimmjow heard their conversation as he moved closer.

'It would require a living body, wouldn't it?' she was asking. 'Only living things emanate reiatsu.'

Szayel nodded in response. 'That is correct. And obviously you can't spend your entire life - or even a short battle - standing behind Aizen-sama.'

Amane's face twisted at his name. 'So would it be possible?' she asked. 'To develop some sort of device?'

Szayel paused, considering. 'Well, I could place a living subject in suspended animation. That would leave the subject's reiatsu unaffected. After that, there is merely the matter of convenience to consider. I would need to somehow change the form -' He stopped, seeing Grimmjow. 'You shouldn't be moving,' he chided. 'You haven't yet recovered enough for me to remove the stitches.'

Grimmjow ignored that. 'What's been happening?' he asked. 'Anyone we know dead?'

Amane turned to look at him. 'Aizen-sama consented to let Szayel place a bug on his person,' she said. 'We're watching what's happening in the human world at this point.' She paused, and then answered his second question. 'There - haven't been any casualties, except for a few of Barragan-san's Fracción.'

Grimmjow glanced at Szayel again. The Arrancar scientist looked paler than usual, tense even. Of course. Harribel had gone with Aizen, along with Starrk and Barragan. Grimmjow wondered if she would survive.

'What were you two talking about when I came in?' he asked, changing the topic.

Szayel cut in. 'Amane-dono has discovered that her abilities become stronger when she uses them through an obstacle with mass and reiatsu, such as a Shinigami or Hollow,' he said.

Grimmjow felt himself look disbelieving at that. 'How's that possible?' he answered. 'Shouldn't it make her weaker, doing it with something in the way?'

'It is intriguing.' For a moment, there was a spark in Szayel's eyes again, flashing behind the glasses. 'You know, don't you, that sound travels faster in water than it does in air? And you know that we hear sound through transmitted waves?'

Grimmjow shrugged. 'I guess,' he said. He'd never really given much thought to how stuff like that worked. He'd always just taken it for granted that it did, and that was good enough for him.

'I believe Amane-dono's ability may work the same way,' Szayel concluded, adjusting his glasses. 'In any case, it seems to propagate similarly. It would explain how she managed to traverse the Garganta on her own with so little trouble.'

'I guess,' Grimmjow repeated. There was silence in the computer room then. He leaned forward, over Amane's shoulder. He fixed his eyes on the screen she was watching. He could smell her hair, and he breathed deeply. The scent was hard to place. Lavender, maybe? Grimmjow had never sought to familiarise himself with flowers and shit like that.

He made himself focus. He could dimly see figures far below the vantage point offered on the screen, and Grimmjow gritted his teeth at that. It was just like Aizen to make sure he was above everyone else. Even the title he insisted all the Espada address him by was an ego trip and a half.

"_Lord" Aizen? _Grimmjow thought with disgust. _He's just some spoiled Shinigami who decided he didn't like playing by anyone else's rules but his own. _

Then an idea occurred to him. It was a dangerous new idea, an idea that walked up to Grimmjow and didn't try to seduce him into believing it. This idea wasn't fucking around. It hit Grimmjow squarely in face with something roughly the size, shape and weight of a brick, and stood there expectantly, waiting for his reaction.

What if Aizen lost?

The very concept of it was so new and revolutionary and seditious by its very nature that Grimmjow hardly dared mentally repeat it to himself. He slowly grew accustomed to the idea. He tried it on for size, trying to envisage a world where there was no Aizen Sousuke.

If Aizen lost, he would be free. Szayel would be free, Harribel would be free, they'd all be free again, free of this charade of king and court that Aizen had forced on all of them.

And Amane would be free the most of all of them.

Grimmjow glanced down at her, letting himself think it. He nearly jumped out of his skin when she spoke.

'Can I ask you something, Szayel-san?'

Szayel turned to her, momentarily ignoring his own computer screen. 'Yes, Amane-dono?'

Amane was silent at that, and for a moment Grimmjow wondered if she was actually going to say anything. Finally she answered the Octava. 'It's funny,' she mused, as though she were making idle conversation. 'It wasn't so long ago that you would only address me as "stupid girl." Why is that?' Her eyes narrowed. She turned to look at Grimmjow. 'Now all of you call me Amane-dono. Why is that?' She stopped, and then went on. 'And you only call him Aizen-sama. Why do you treat me as if I'm more superior than him?'

Had the idea hit her too, as it had hit Grimmjow? Grimmjow couldn't say for certain. Amane held her silence, but it had a resigned feel to it, as if she weren't expecting a reply from either of them.

Amane, too, was picturing a world without Aizen Sousuke. That made Grimmjow's pulse race.

* * *

I tore myself away from SC2 and YouTube. I found the StarCraft Pylon Mix flash animation, and put the accompanying mp3 on my iPod. (Yes, I am a giant nerdy nerd.) This has done horrible things to my concentration. Plus I've been in a drawing mood more than a writing one as of late. But here's the chapter! Much suspense and things. ;)

Feel free to try and figure out whether or not Rei's going to do it. I'm trying to make it so it's not decisive either way. Just so I can keep everyone in the dark and whatnot. Yes, I am a mean person. But not quite as mean as Aizen.

I've figured out why I have an insight into how he behaves, and how he thinks. I used to just think it was because I saw a lot of myself in him, but it's more than that. It's because I know that if I'd had a slightly different childhood, or experienced slightly different situations growing up, I would have _been _Aizen. (Just thought I'd scare the hell out of everyone there. Luv ya lots.)


	69. Uncharacteristic

I'm excited for this plot arc. It's going to be so, so epic. I might actually have to stay away from my StarCraft.

And I has comfy chair in which to write. Oh yes. It beats sweating over my laptop at the kitchen table. The only thing that makes me sad is that I can't eat ice cream and type fast at the same time. This chapter - I don't know, did anyone else think it was a bit random for Aizen to be like, "Everyone attack their base!" in the canon?

(I play too many computer games.)

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 69

Uncharacteristic

_

* * *

Fortune smiles on you_

_You're not watching, dig that hole deeper_

_Fortune smiles on you_

_You're not watching, create your own fate_

…

_It keeps raining_

_Because we are blind. _

**-April Rain, Delain**

This was taking its toll on Amane, and that was an understatement.

The girl was sitting next to Szayel in the computer room, her eyes glued to the screen, outwardly composed. She was far paler than usual, an unhealthy ghostly bleached-white. Purple shadows were under her eyes in smeared blotches. Her hands were folded in her lap.

She looked ill more than anything else. She looked how Szayel felt.

He was surveying two computer screens at once, watching the fight between Yammy Riyulga and the weakling Shinigami he should have defeated, while glancing back to the 'false' Karakura Town on the other monitor every so often.

It was an insult to Tia Harribel, Szayel knew, to be concerned for her safety. It was uncharacteristic of himself, in addition to that. He had never been concerned for anyone's wellbeing besides his own, and his living test subjects for as long as he needed them to remain alive.

Tia Harribel had been a Vasto Lorde before Aizen had transformed her into an Arrancar. She was stronger than Szayel and Grimmjow put together. Surely her defeat at the hands of a lowly Shinigami was out of the question.

A lowly Shinigami had defeated Szayel himself, but he was weaker than Harribel. And that was of no importance anyway. Kurotsuchi Mayuri would soon be dead.

Szayel remembered that fight, the moment of his death, the awful sick paralysis and drawn-out pain. He remembered his own empty gloating, a performance staged as much for himself as it had been for Kurotsuchi, Abarai and Ishida. He had been pretending. He had recalled who he was before Tia Harribel's inception into the Espada, back when he had assisted Nnoitra Jiruga in disposing of Neliel Tu Oderschvank, and pulled on that persona like it was a glove.

The glove no longer fit well.

Szayel looked at Amane again. She was biting her lip. Already he could see the dark gleam of blood.

On the screen, the Captain-Commander of Soul Society - whom Szayel knew only by name - had activated his Zanpakutou, Ryuujin Jakka. Flame enveloped Ichimaru, Tousen and Aizen, imprisoning them inside a circle of blazing inferno.

Szayel swore under his breath. Visibility was severely impaired now. He couldn't see any of the Arrancar fighting. Of course, the bug was on Aizen, an iris camera that Szayel had developed himself. It sat on the Shinigami's cornea like a contact lens, allowing him to see everything Aizen could see.

And that was the chief problem. Szayel could only see what Aizen could see, and right now, all Aizen could see was a wall of flame.

Amane's expression didn't change. She looked almost on autopilot, staring at the screen in silence.

Szayel could make an educated guess as to what was going through her head. If he were her, he would be trying to extrapolate his fate too.

It was no secret that Aizen had become displeased with Amane. Szayel had noticed the Shinigami slowly withdrawing from the human. Only a fool would fail to notice the way Aizen had made a point of touching Amane in front of Grimmjow. Of course, Aizen had never done anything openly lewd or sexual in front of any of the Espada. It had always been small but intimate gestures, a brush of his lips to the back of Amane's hand, an arm around her waist, a kiss on the top of her head.

But Szayel, along with most of Las Noches, knew the truth. He hadn't even really needed to hear the story of Amane's confession to Harribel to figure out that Aizen had taken her to his bed. He guessed Aizen had been gentle at first, even a tender lover, if Amane's pleased delicate flush and shy glances in the Shinigami's direction the day after Harribel had told him were anything to go by.

Later, she had turned up in his laboratory to visit Grimmjow, just prior to his departure for the battle against Abarai and Ishida, and Szayel had seen the dark swollen bottom lip and the bruises on her throat.

It was no secret. For all her precociousness, she was beginning to fall out of favour with Aizen, and this time it was for good.

Had Aizen merely grown bored, as he had with other lovers before her? That was the obvious conclusion to draw. Szayel could recall all too clearly the night he'd dissected her body and drawn out the flawed heart. Aizen had made it plain then that he was toying with her.

That led to the next question, the other matter bothering Szayel. What, exactly, was his master up to?

On the surface, it was obvious. The frontal assault on Soul Society was happening now. Aizen was bringing his strongest Espada to fight against the peak of Soul Society's military power in a bid to create the Ouken and bring down the Shinigami once and for all.

What nagged at Szayel was why Aizen was choosing to do it this way. He would never pretend to have any sort of insight into the Shinigami's character. Such a thing was near blasphemy, and impossible in any case. Aizen was impossible to read, to second-guess. It was one of the reasons Szayel had felt a kind of contemptuous pity for Amane Rei in the beginning for her attempts to understand Aizen's motives.

But - this was unlike his master. A full-frontal attack to wipe out the Gotei 13 captains once and for all -

It bothered Szayel. Of course, there was no possibility Aizen would lose. He had seen it with his own eyes. Grimmjow, who was at least equivalent to Shinigami captain-level if not stronger, had bent underneath the weight of Aizen's reiatsu alone on more than one occasion. It would be easy for Aizen to defeat Soul Society through sheer force.

But -

It was uncharacteristic.

Szayel pondered it, switching over to the other monitor. Yammy was now engaging the Captains Kuchiki Byakuya and Zaraki Kenpachi in battle, and would most likely be defeated soon. Although powerful in his Resurreción form, the 'Cero' Espada was fundamentally stupid, and slow with it. An opponent with a reasonable level of power and a vaguely planned strategy could defeat Yammy.

Yammy's mass and reiatsu would be sufficient for his research project. The suspended animation part would be easy. The only difficult part would be the restructuring, and ensuring that Yammy survived the process. He would be no good at all dead.

Szayel gazed at the screen. Of course, that plan would have to be discarded if the Espada died in his fight against the two captains. He would have to find someone else to experiment with, but he knew that wouldn't pose a problem.

There would definitely be more than one near-death in the fight that was to come.

Szayel couldn't dispel his sense of unease at Aizen's strategy, or lack thereof. Perhaps, he thought to himself, it was intended as an insult to Soul Society. Perhaps Aizen wished to flaunt his power at the last, to show the ancient Captain-Commander that he had always been and always would be stronger.

That seemed like a logical explanation, and Szayel decided to settle for that. He glanced at the monitor to the right again, saw a screen filled with flames.

The sight did nothing to unsettle the cold dread inside him, the vague sense that something was coming which none of them would be able to avoid.

Least of all Amane.

* * *

Suspenseful chapter is suspenseful.

This comfy chair has done wonderful things for getting rid of my writer's laziness. I shall use it more often.

Plus I'm excited for what's coming. Although I did read Deicide 23 (manga chapter), so I could know what's coming and not screw with the canon.

It was upsetting.

Like, really upsetting.

I almost cried. And I hated Urahara. What a bastard. Why are you picking on poor Aizen? Why don't you just let him take over the world in peace?

What did he ever do to you, Urahara? What has he done to deserve the kind of horrible treatment you seem to enjoy giving him without any cause?

(Okay, don't answer that one.)


	70. Memento Mori

Chapter 70, woooo~

Holy crap, at the rate I'm going I'll have 100 chapters for this thing before too long. This comfy chair is fucking amazing. I think I'm going to steal it off my mother come exam period and study in it. Although then I might later associate the comfy chair with the unpleasantness of exams…

No. The comfy chair shall remain pure and untainted.

I'm using my characters to express my opinions again. Like Szayel in the last chapter. Aizen, doing an all-out assault against Soul Society, being like "Ve vill kill zem all"? When I saw the beginning of the Fake Karakura Town arc, it just felt…wrong. As a plan, it really lacks finesse, and I think Aizen makes a point to do everything with finesse. So I am fixing it. And making it better.

**Warning: **There's rape in this chapter. Don't worry, it's no one you know. It's just a flashback. And I haven't gone into icky explicit details. I just thought I should let everyone know before reading.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 70

Memento Mori

_

* * *

Don't fret, precious, I'm here;_

_Stay away from the window_

_Go back to sleep. _

_Lay your head down, child_

_I won't let the bogeymen come._

_Counting bodies like sheep_

_To the rhythm of the war drums. _

**-Pet, A Perfect Circle**

Aizen could feel the heat of Ryuujin Jakka's flames on his face and hands and throat, the only places where his white robe and shihakusho exposed his skin to the surface. The temperature wasn't intense, or blistering. It was far enough away from Aizen and his two subordinates to merely feel pleasant. It was a wintry day, after all, the sun gleaming weak and insipid behind thin clouds up above, the sky a frosty blue.

Aizen smiled at the irony of it. He doubted very much that the Soutaicho cared anything for Aizen's personal comfort, and yet Captain Yamamoto was the one shielding him from the cold while Tousen poured them tea.

'Thank you, Kaname,' he said, using courtesy as he hadn't before. Aizen lifted his cup to his lips. It was only right that he take tea now.

After all, he wouldn't have the opportunity to do so when he was confined within Avici, seemingly without any hope of rescue. Although it wasn't as if Aizen's confinement would last long.

She would do it all for him, his Renata, his exceedingly fortunate find. Aizen had deduced how she'd come by that unique ability of hers, through a significant amount of research. He remembered his observation that her abilities were similar to that of the Quincy breed. It turned out that he'd been unknowingly correct.

Apparently Amane Daisuke and Ishida Ryuuken were distantly related. Aizen had examined her family's connections out of idleness, and discovered the relationship. The two men were second cousins or some such. Admittedly, that didn't explain the nearly instantaneous development of Renata's reiatsu, especially since the Hougyoku definitely hadn't been embedded in Aizen the day he'd met her.

It did not matter. He would have time enough to satisfy his curiosity about her when the world was finally theirs. He had overestimated the importance of the lily incident, which was none. If anything, it was proof that Renata was still deeply in love with him and would take his side against the Zanpakutou's.

Renata would defeat Kyouka Suigetsu, Aizen would have Bankai, and the Soul Society would be utterly destroyed.

His Zanpakutou could sense that thought. Aizen could feel her displeasure, feel her forcing another memory on him.

He let it come. Soon she would have submitted to him, and he would no longer have anything so burdensome as a past.

* * *

'_P-please.'_

_He watched dispassionately from the rooftop, a slight sneer curling his lip at the sight of the girl. She appeared sixteen or seventeen perhaps. Admittedly this was the Rukongai, the afterlife, and no one was as old as they looked. He himself was fifty-six years old numerically, but physically looked only eight or nine. That worked to his advantage, he knew. There were few that would willingly harm a child with nothing worth taking, and Aizen Shinji knew he was a beautiful child. He had seen his reflection in dirty puddles of water - his mother, of course, rarely had the money for food, let alone a luxury like a mirror. He had full lips, wide liquid-looking brown eyes, and hair which fell in silky locks around his round child's face. He was too young yet to appeal to the men who lurked in alleyways, searching for innocence and not-always-consensual pleasure. This girl hadn't been so fortunate. _

_Aizen watched as the three men neared the girl. She raised her hands in a pleading gesture. 'Please. I just want to get home -'_

'_You'll do that, sweetheart,' the tallest of the trio told her. 'Just let us have our fun with ya first. We'll be gentle with ya if yer gentle to us.'_

_His cronies laughed. The girl sobbed, locks of dirty fair hair falling around her face. She was attractive for a Rukongai girl, attractive for the seventy-sixth district at least, where all the women were either lined and weary with age or were heavily made-up prostitutes. _

_She had long slender limbs, lips as full as Aizen's, a body beneath ill-fitting second-hand clothing that had developed pleasing, ripe curves. 'Please, leave me alone!'_

_The men laughed. The tall one grabbed the girl by the shoulders, forcing her against the wall. Aizen knew well enough what was coming. He had seen it before several times. The first time it had been a girl younger than this one, perhaps not very much older than himself, with dark hair instead of light. The first time he had watched them do it, heard her scream, and learnt the lesson. _

_He had learnt what it meant to be weak. He had observed the fate that he himself would never share, because he was going to be the strongest Shinigami. _

'_No!' she screamed, as the man's hands found her thighs, forcing them apart. _

_Aizen looked away, not out of any sense of decency, or even fear at watching what would so predictably come next. He had no particular aversion to watching other people's suffering. He had even enjoyed it in the past, but only when the pain was something he had planned or orchestrated. Aizen had never believed in luck, or fortune, some purpose higher than his own. Kyouka Suigetsu had told him that his was the highest purpose, and Aizen believed her. _

_This girl, here and now, was fundamentally unlucky, which was the other side of the coin. Her suffering, the events of this night which would scar her forever, were not preordained or designed. She had merely been foolish enough to walk this way, vain enough not to try and hide her beauty, and weak enough not to be able to defend herself. _

_Therefore, Aizen did not take any pleasure in her suffering, or feel any childish glee, or feel the opposite, cold dead horror. He simply didn't care. _

_He stared at the moon as they raped the girl, one after the other. It hung heavy and almost full in the sky, greyish and partially obscured by smoke. Some part of the seventy-sixth district was always burning. _

_Aizen breathed in the smell of smoke. This was a test, Kyouka Suigetsu had told him, a test to make sure he really was the strongest, strong enough to survive Rukongai, stronger than the girl whimpering and crying below him in the street. He intended to pass with flying colours. _

* * *

Aizen wondered, almost with amusement, if that had been an attempt on Kyouka Suigetsu's part to instil some sort of emotional reaction in him. He chuckled to himself, too softly for either Ichimaru or Tousen to hear. _You're losing your touch, my dear, _he thought.

How delightfully amusing it would be, if she failed on her own, if Aizen no longer needed Renata to defeat her. It was clear that Kyouka Suigetsu had nothing new to threaten him with, no new holds over him. She had no new information about him, no weaknesses, and would never have any way of getting any.

Aizen knew he would wait for Renata to do it even if it turned out that Kyouka Suigetsu would lose to him by herself. It was too good an opportunity to pass up, and would provide him with too delicious a victory. Kyouka Suigetsu, the powerful Zanpakutou whose abilities were unique and unrivalled, would fall to a girl with watered-down Quincy blood and nothing else.

The thought was supremely pleasing.

Aizen drank his tea, unfazed by Ryuujin Jakka's prison of fire, unfazed by the battles he could feel taking place around them. He would lose, but he would win. And then, his victory would be all the sweeter.

* * *

I don't know why this chair is so good at helping me write. It's an old and shitty chair and the foot recliner thingy doesn't work properly. But it is SO FUCKING COMFY. And I have more iced tea. XD

There is so much mindfuckery in this story. I astonish myself by actually coming up with intelligent plots. (Usually I do unintelligent things, like attempting to block someone's roundhouse kick in karate class with my hand.)

Plus there was just epic rain outside and WTF, the kid next door is still yelling on his fucking trampoline. I will grow up to be a cranky old lady, yes. I don't particularly care. :)


	71. Betrayal

Erk. I have to clean the house today. *sadface*

At least I have chocolate and iced tea.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 71

Betrayal

_

* * *

You took my heart_

_Deceived me right from the start;_

_You showed me dreams,_

_I wish they'd turn into real. _

_You broke the promise_

_And made me realize_

_It was all just a lie. _

**-Angels, Within Temptation**

Rei stared at the screen. It had all happened so fast.

Tia Harribel, the Third Espada, had been immobilised by the short-statured Tenth Division captain, Hitsugaya Toushirou. Rei had only been able to figure that out when the _thing _had appeared, along with Wonderweiss Margera.

She shuddered. Of course, she knew why Wonderweiss was the way he was. Sousuke had told her.

Wonderweiss Margera had no speech, intelligence, memory or conscious thought processes. That much had been obvious to Rei the first time she'd seen him. She had been more than a little wary of him. He'd looked younger than her, only twelve years old at most, with fine blond hair and freckles dusting his nose. Apart from his eyes, magenta like Loli's, and the hole in his spindly chest, he would have been quite ordinary-looking.

With the exception of the slack jaw, the idiot's stare, the saliva collecting at the corner of his mouth, he would have passed for someone ordinary.

Rei shivered. She knew someone more soft-hearted would feel pity for the modified Arrancar. She only felt revulsion. Perhaps it would have been easier for her to accept if Sousuke had merely taken Wonderweiss' mental faculties from him without asking his permission.

But Sousuke had told her that Wonderweiss had given up his thought processes all on his own, without any need for coercion. _I force no one into anything, my dear, _he'd told her, smiling. _I always offer a choice. _

Rei knew what he'd really been telling her. Sousuke did offer choice, that was true. But it was always an illusory choice. He offered the semblance of free will, a convincing imitation, and how many in Las Noches had gladly accepted that lie?

Rei herself was among them. She had accepted the semblance of being his queen and lover. She had allowed him to take her to bed and do whatever he liked with her, and she had enjoyed being his plaything. Now, despite her best efforts, he would cast her aside once he had exterminated Soul Society.

She moved her hand to her mouth, almost absent-mindedly, and chewed her nails. It seemed like she had no choice. It would feel like she was betraying him, but that wasn't important. In this particular game of chess, what mattered was who won and who lost, not the feelings regarding that. And if she had a winning gambit, she would be a fool not to bring it into play, especially if doing otherwise would mean her own downfall.

She could win, or she could lose. That was what it came down to. That was how Sousuke thought, and Sousuke, by all accounts, had always won. And she would feel like less of a traitor now that she'd given him due warning, as was proper.

She had made the first move. And for the moment, Sousuke was caught up in the fight against Soul Society in the false Karakura Town. He could do nothing to affect her strategy.

She would accept no more of Aizen Sousuke's illusions.

Rei swallowed again, forcing down the nausea that had become perpetual by now. The muted glow from the computer screen was only making her feel sicker. To distract herself, she looked to her left, at Szayel.

She could see the relief in his face. Of course he was relieved. Harribel was no longer frozen, now a long way from being defeated. That one-eyed thing had freed her from Captain Hitsugaya's Zanpakutou ability.

There was no way Sousuke would lose this fight. And there was no way Rei would lose hers. After all, she had an advantage over Sousuke that no one else had ever had over a Shinigami.

Doubtless other humans, like Inoue Orihime, would say she was being cold-hearted. Probably even Amane Julia would say she was being cold-hearted. If this was a fairytale, and Rei were a princess, she would go on loving the monster even when he turned on her to tear out her throat.

But Sousuke was too beautiful to be a monster, and Rei wasn't anywhere near beautiful enough to be a princess. And they were both as evil as each other, and everyone knew evil never triumphed in fairytales.

She continued watching the spectacle. She could hear Sousuke's voice, deep and seductive despite the crackle of the poor speaker on the iris bug, and it sent shivers through her.

'_The stench of death is fitting…for what is happening before us._'

He really did sound like a god. He sounded omnipotent and omniscient and utterly ruthless. She could see a ragtag group of people of varying ages and wearing various outfits off in the distance, the leader of which she vaguely recognised as Hirako Shinji. She wondered, distantly, when they'd gotten there. It wasn't important, she knew. Sousuke would finish them, as he finished anyone who stood in his way.

Rei held herself still. It was all the more reason to accept what Kyouka Suigetsu was offering her. As uneasy as Sousuke's Zanpakutou made her feel, striking a bargain with Kyouka Suigetsu was better than meeting her death in one of Sousuke's endgames.

It was as though real time had sped up into fast forward. Far away, down near the corner of the screen, Rei could see flares of blue Cero. She couldn't see who was firing them, but guessed it was Starrk since both Barragan Luisenbarn in his Resurreción form and Tia Harribel were in her field of vision.

Once it would have fascinated her, seeing the Espada and their enemies using their powers in battle. Rei watched numbly as the dim figure of Coyote Starrk was attacked by two of Hirako Shinji's group, who now appeared to be wearing Hollowlike masks. Sousuke turned his head then, changing the view. He was looking in Tia Harribel's direction again, but only momentarily. He turned back to look at Ichimaru Gin, who was now fighting Hirako Shinji himself.

Rei listened closely, and thought she heard a sigh. That made her smile despite herself. Clearly Sousuke found his subordinates' fights for their lives tiresome, to say the least.

It continued on, all seeming to blur together for her. Sousuke's field of vision was steady, unchanging. He didn't even bother looking to see how his underlings were faring in their respective fights.

Then Rei heard his voice again. '_That's enough, Gin._'

The screen flickered, and she could see Ichimaru Gin and Hirako Shinji, still crossing blades. Ichimaru deflected Hirako's attack with a slash, sending the former Shinigami captain flying backwards through the air.

Hirako moved to a stop. '_What?_' Rei winced. His voice was just as she remembered it from the dream, grating and irritating.

The screen flickered to black, then the picture reappeared. Confused, Rei stared at the display. The perspective was different. Sousuke was much closer to Tia Harribel and her opponents than he had been before -

Then she figured it out. _He used Shunpo, _she thought. Then the new situation fully entered her head, and she bit her lip.

_What's going on? What's he doing? Why is he interfering in their fight?_

And then, finally:

_It's not like him. _

Tia Harribel had frozen in a lunge, the muscles in her body tensing. '_Aizen…sama?_' She sounded as confused as Rei was.

Next to her, Szayel intook a breath. 'What's this?' he muttered.

Privately, Rei seconded his question. _Why's he interfering? _she thought. _He can't be helping her. It's obvious that Harribel could handle those three on her own if she wanted. She came close to defeating the young captain. _

He hadn't told her anything about this.

Harribel stood, turning to face Sousuke as he drew closer to her. Clearly his vision was refocusing - the iris camera zoomed in, showing the widening of the Tres Espada's normally cool green eyes.

Rei heard the slide of steel against steel, and felt her insides contract. She had never seen him fight before, although this was hardly a battle. It wasn't as if Tia Harribel knew in advance that Sousuke was going to stab her - metaphorically speaking - in the back.

She heard the low noise in Szayel's throat, heard Grimmjow's sharp exhalation, saw the spray of blood and the terrifying sharpness of the red wound in Harribel's stomach. Rei couldn't draw her eyes away. She looked at the injury closer, almost against her will, and fancied for one horrified second that she could see the gleam of entrails.

'_I'm done with you._' The crackle of Sousuke's voice, obscured with static, echoed throughout the computer room. Rei imagined for a moment that he was speaking to her instead of the female Espada, and felt even sicker. '_It seems you aren't strong enough to fight for me._'

There was a shift again, another Shunpo. Rei could see Harribel to the side now, bent over the wound in her abdomen, looking up with tense eyes. '_I - I don't understand._'

She was lying. Rei wasn't sure how she knew. She had only ever been able to sense that about Sousuke. That aside, she knew for certain that Harribel knew exactly why Sousuke had just cut her down.

'_Isn't it obvious?_' he answered. '_Even if I made any more of you sacrifice yourselves, it would achieve nothing. That is what I have decided.' _Sousuke paused before continuing. '_I must say, I wasn't expecting this outcome. I went through a lot of effort in order to gather my Espada. I never expected -' _and here Rei could hear the smirk in his voice - '_your gathered strengths to be inferior to mine.'_

Harribel was gasping now, her untransformed arm clutching her injury. Blood dripped down the crook of her elbow. She looked up with anger in her face, directly ahead of her, where Aizen was standing to the left. Then she lunged forward, attacking thin air with her Resurreción.

Rei was confused, and then realized what was happening. _Kyouka Suigetsu, _she thought with a heavy heart. _I'm immune to it. I can see, and she can't. _

She saw Kyouka Suigetsu's blade in Harribel's back then, the hilt just under her left shoulder blade.

'_Don't make me go through the effort,' _Sousuke said, speaking slowly and clearly as if to a stupid person, '_of swinging my sword twice on the likes of you._'

Then he finished her.

She fell away, and Rei's vocabulary was reduced to one word, a single word that repeated itself over and over again in her mind.

_Why? _she thought. _Why?_

_Has he asked you to…have sexual intercourse with him?_

_He did it to me. He was not gentle. _

The line on Harribel's throat, the white jacket she always wore zipped up to the middle of her face…

Rei stared at the screen. This, she knew, would let her put guilt aside. _An eye for an eye, _she thought.

She should have been feeling guilty relief at this confirmation that Sousuke would deserve what she did to him, that she would be saving herself before he did to her what he'd just done to Harribel.

_He disposed of her, _she thought. _Like he'll dispose of me. _

More than anything, Rei wanted the sick feeling to go away.

* * *

Tia Harribel is so freakin' awesome.

Writing this made me sad. I want to comfort everyone with a spoiler, but I know this'll make me a horrible writer.

I wanted to capture the 'OMFG he just stabbed Harribel' feeling I got when I first saw this in canon. It just…saddened and shocked me so much when Aizen did it. Yes, I did gloss over a fair bit of what happened in the fake Karakura Town arc, but I've stated that I hate repeating canon before. Hopefully everything still makes sense.

And poor Szayel…I'm going to be capturing his mindbreak in later chapters. I didn't do it here, because I figured Rei would be more focused on her own feelings.

My favourite line in this chapter: "She would accept no more of Aizen Sousuke's illusions." Also known as shit's getting real.

I officially end this update with a hug donated to Tia Harribel. Come on guys, donate a hug. She deserves them.


	72. Acta est Fabula

Using Harribel's POV for the first time ever. Hope it turns out all right, and suits the rest of the story.

This is another one of those 'Harribel needs hugs' chapter. I felt really sad writing it. Sure, I made up a lot of the little details of her backstory, but it still made me sad.

Flashback to the scene between Harribel and Aizen. No explicit details, though.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 72

Acta est Fabula

_

* * *

Don't believe in what you see_

_Believe in me_

_In my reality_

…

_Oh God_

_Can't you hear that I'm begging you?_

…

_Believe in me_

_And I will reappear_

_Salvation here at last_

_At last someone to answer_

_All my prayers. _

**-Living a Lie, Epica**

She was falling. She was falling, because she had believed everything he had told her.

Tia Harribel's eyes unfocused. Even the pain was only a dull distraction now. It felt as if she'd been punched rather than sliced and stabbed, a heavy bruised feeling in her back and abdomen.

_No world is without sacrifice. _

He had told her. He had promised. He had said there would be no more unnecessary death.

Why had she said yes to him? Why had she accepted his offer? She knew the answer to that. She had wanted to become stronger, to prevent unnecessary death, to prevent wasted life and unwanted sacrifice. That was what she had stood for, even in the beginning.

And then he had appeared, dressed in white, offering her and her comrades his hand out of the darkness. Who could have blamed her for that damning error? At the time, she would have been a fool not to accept the Shinigami's offer of help.

Harribel had been transformed then, into something stronger than her previous state of being. She had been a Vasto Lorde in her life before Aizen Sousuke. She had been an evolved Hollow too long to even have any memory of being human, although she knew she must have once been alive. Hollow, after all, could not reproduce. Even if they were capable of producing biological offspring, it was not in their nature to.

Kill or be killed, die or let die, sacrifice or be sacrificed, eat or be eaten. Those were the laws that governed Hueco Mundo. That was the king that governed Hueco Mundo, Barragan Luisenbarn, lord of death and time and rotting old age. Harribel somehow knew that even as a human, that state of existence she could no longer remember because it had been so long ago, she had not feared Lord Time. To do that would be to fear the world itself. She saw no point in fearing what was inevitable. All she could do would be to keep herself alive for as long as she could, with all the strength she had.

So when an offer of additional strength had come her way, a promise of keeping her and her comrades safe, how could she refuse? The transformation Aizen had given her in itself hadn't been painful. That, in fact, belonged to the list of things Harribel could not remember. She could only remember a dark blur, before she had become an Arrancar and after the event.

In some ways it had brought clarity for her. They were closer to being human than they had been before Aizen, her and all the Espada, and Harribel had felt as though a blindfold had been lifted away from her eyes. She was able to think and reason on a higher level, she was capable of logical behaviour. As a Vasto Lorde, that had been difficult for her. She had constantly been plagued by fear, a fear she had not shown to the Adjuchas who had chosen to accompany her through Hueco Mundo, the fear of regression all higher Menos carried with them. She had not wanted to lose her ideals or her rationality. Even as a Vasto Lorde - she had still experienced the animalistic hunger of a lower Hollow, still felt the bloodlust and the need to feed, feed, feed.

Harribel knew that hadn't originally been part of her being, and so she'd wanted to eradicate it. Becoming an Espada had done that for her. She had been able to do things that were foreign to her. All the Espada had been taught to read by Ichimaru Gin. She had read books in the privacy of her rooms in Las Noches, slowly and stumblingly but gradually getting better. She had been able to leave the palace at night and simply walk, free of that fear, free of hunger and animal instinct. She had been able to look at the stationary moon of Hueco Mundo, been able to walk on the sand with bare feet and feel grains of it between her toes.

She had been able to do things simply for herself, and keep her comrades - her _friends _- safe at the same time.

Aizen Sousuke had never seemed to expect anything too much of her, provided that she served him loyally. Harribel was more than content to do that. She was, after all, grateful to him and all he had done for her.

She had been a fool to sink so blindly into complacency.

Harribel had seen the Shinigami casually order the murder of subordinates who failed him, even subordinates who believed they'd served him well. She had known that his moods and desires were unpredictable, mercurial even. She should have seen it coming.

She had been seated at that table with the other Espada, saying little as usual, and had felt his eyes lingering on her. Shinigami were supposed to be a different breed entirely to Hollows. Harribel knew that, as Hollows and Arrancar alike did. Somehow, they were still able to experience the same emotions. Or perhaps Aizen Sousuke was Hollow on the inside, and that had been his reason for betraying the other Shinigami.

Harribel didn't know why. Had it been because she was the only female Espada? She had remembered seeing the hunger in those deep dark eyes, a look she recognised all too well. It was the same look she'd seen in the eyes of her Adjuchas when they'd gone for too long without feeding.

He had looked at her that way, like she was prey, and it had made her sit deathly still, hoping his attention would pass over her, not knowing or wanting to know what exactly he planned to do to her.

* * *

'_May I speak with you alone?'_

_Harribel couldn't hide her apprehension, and she saw Lord Aizen's lips curve into a smile at that. She inclined her head, hoping that behaving as a soldier under his command would bury her sense of unease. _

'_Of course, Aizen-sama,' she'd replied softly. _

_Aizen had threaded his arm through hers, a gesture that Harribel knew from her books was supposed to be a gesture of affection. It didn't feel that way. The Shinigami was slightly taller than her, and she, although far from weak, could feel the weight of his reiatsu. _

_He had led her to his rooms, closing the door behind him. 'Do you fear me?' he had asked her, his arm still in hers. _

_Harribel had been unsure as to how to answer. Finally, she nodded, knowing she could not lie to him. She had seen this man's sense of the truth, she had seen that he was better than anyone at detecting a falsehood, and she knew what happened to those who lied to Aizen Sousuke. _

_He had smiled, folding his arms around her. 'I am not an unkind man, Tia Harribel,' he had said. 'I know you know your place. You have no reason to fear me.'_

_With that, he had leant down, pressing his lips to hers. _

_The sensation itself hadn't been unpleasant. When Harribel read, she preferred to read stories rather than facts, learning about the feelings of human characters, things which were intrinsically foreign to her. This, too, was supposed to be a sign of affection. _

_But Harribel, for all her ignorance of feelings, all her uncertainty in that area, wasn't unintelligent. She could tell when she was being used. _

_And he had used her. He had been tender at first. He had unzipped her white jacket, traced the curves of her body with long-fingered hands with something like wonder in his eyes along with lust, and despite herself Harribel had enjoyed the tingles his expert fingertips induced in her skin. She had been curious. This was yet another aspect of which she was entirely ignorant. _

_Then he had smiled darkly down at her, all gentleness and courtesy gone, and made her undress him. Even ignoring the pressure of his reiatsu on her, Harribel had been intimidated by Aizen standing naked before her. She had never seen a male body unclothed before, and instead of feeling curiosity she had felt the fear well up in her again. _

_His eyes had flashed, and he had pressed her to the bed. He had lifted his Zanpakutou off the floor from where he'd left it, and the blade had danced over her skin. He had licked away the blood, her body responding against her will to his ministrations. Harribel had, to her burning shame, heard a whimper escape her own throat, and then Lord Aizen had positioned himself above her, entering her roughly. _

_It had been pain rather than pleasure, but even so her body had betrayed her and reached climax. Harribel had lain under him until he had deigned to free her, feeling her muscles contract under her skin, wanting this man off and out of her, wanting to scour herself clean of what had just happened. _

_Aizen had smiled then, gently again, and kissed her. 'I thank you,' he said, taking his Zanpakutou in hand. 'Please let me give you a token of my gratitude.'_

_Harribel had managed to stop herself from showing any reaction, pain or fear or disgust, as Aizen had slowly drawn Kyouka Suigetsu's tip along her throat, cutting the skin open, the hot warmth of the blood escaping the wound drenching her neck. _

* * *

She had been unable to erase his token. She had been unable to erase the memory. She had even tried to erase Aizen himself, in a vain attempt to die fighting, but Aizen had thwarted that attempt.

Harribel had not read any stories after that. She hadn't even read children's fairytales, her own brand of guilty pleasure. She hadn't been able to stand the world of fantasy any longer.

Gradually the sense of loss had faded, and she was only left with the token and the memory. Harribel had been able to let her mind wander in idleness again, and then the human had revealed herself.

Amane Rei. She'd been unable to prevent the girl from sharing her fate. At least Amane-dono had loved Aizen-sama, although that would be shattered for her soon enough. Harribel knew she had done all she could.

At least she could die with her conscience clear of that.

It hadn't hurt so badly as of late. Harribel had even taken to wondering what the act would have been like if, as her books had told her, it was performed as a sign of affection. She had wondered, in her private moments, what it would be like to feel love, to love someone and have them return that love.

She recalled Szayel Aporro Granz, the seemingly unscrupulous Octava Espada. Harribel knew, as did all the Espada, what the Eighth was capable of doing, and just what he'd done. She'd been one of the few Espada to have a predecessor, and she knew from many sources that Szayel had had a hand in disposing of Neliel Tu Oderschvank.

She had been surprised to learn that he was capable of feeling what she felt for her Fracción. She had been surprised when he had demonstrated that he was capable of compassion.

Harribel remembered his hand resting on hers in the laboratory. His skin had been much paler than hers, paler than Lord Aizen's. She had been able to see bluish veins in the back of his hand, and had felt her old curiosity well up again. She had wanted to trace the patterns they made with her own fingers.

Surely King Barragan would say such a thing was not Hollowlike. In any case, it hardly mattered.

Harribel was dying. She was dying slowly - he had delivered a stomach wound on purpose, he had wanted her to linger painfully for as long as was possible - but she would eventually die.

She could regret never knowing love, she supposed. But no, it was hardly a surprise that she hadn't been able to experience that. She was, after all, just an evolved animal. And her innocence, in a way, had been expended to protect Amane Rei's. Harribel didn't doubt that her warning to the girl had been Aizen's reason for killing her.

She had made her sacrifice, and what was done was done.

Her body hit the ground, and mercifully she fell unconscious.

* * *

I am so sorry, Harribel. You didn't deserve to end this way in canon. Hopefully I can avenge your death.

The chapter title is Latin for 'So ends the story.' I believe, according to Wikipedia, these were Caesar Augustus' last words.

I will be the first to admit that I love Aizen as a magnificent bastard but - killing off Harribel? For no apparent reason (hence the backstory I made up)?

Not cool. Just…not cool. At all.


	73. Stand Alone

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 73

Stand Alone

_

* * *

I can't save your life_

_Though nothing I bleed for_

_Is more tormenting. _

_I'm losing my mind_

_And you just stand there and stare_

_As my world divides. _

**-Snow White Queen, Evanescence**

Aizen could recall it, more than clearly.

At the time he had attached none of the significance to the event that Tia Harribel clearly had, looking away from him for ever afterwards, not daring to meet his eyes, forcing herself not to flinch every time Aizen so much as brushed her arm or shoulder with his hand.

He knew that Harribel had not been physically intimate with anyone else prior to him, and that she hadn't repeated it afterwards. The act had horrified and repulsed her, Aizen knew, what any human psychologist would call a traumatising experience. That was part of the reason he had never cared to repeat their liaison.

_

* * *

She had had a beautiful body, a body that would be the envy of any human woman, a body that rivalled his own in its closeness to perfection but - of course - didn't eclipse him. _

_Aizen had taken her in his bedroom, taken her in front of the mirror that covered most of one wall. He had revelled in the voyeuristic pleasure of it, seeing their bodies joined together as one, seeing her long golden-skinned legs around his waist, seeing the scarlet lacing of blood where he'd traced his Zanpakutou over her skin, beginning to stain the sheets like a sordid lover's note. _

_Understandably, she had lacked skill in lovemaking. Aizen had hardly expected any degree of sexual prowess from her. After all, he was the first and only one to claim her. But he soon realized the real reason behind it. _

_Her body's movements were tense and minimal and awkward. When her body tightened around him, the familiar contraction of orgasm, Aizen saw her eyes shut tightly as he looked at her, searching for the dazed joy and lust that was always present in his partners' faces. _

_He had spilled inside her, his climax that much less satisfying than usual, and felt her body go slack underneath him. _

_Aizen had stroked strands of hair, clinging and damp with sweat, away from Tia Harribel's face in an imitation of a lover's caress. That had given him a sort of dark amusement. 'How does it feel?' he had asked. _

_Her eyes had opened, slowly and unwillingly. 'What, Aizen-sama?' Her voice had come out in a whisper. _

_Aizen kissed her, just once, tenderly. 'Being beloved by the king of Hueco Mundo,' he had said. 'Being in the bed of the king of Hueco Mundo.'_

_Harribel had looked at him as he was still inside her, slowly and almost wonderingly. Then, finally, she had spoken. 'I - would not presume to be beloved, Lord Aizen.'_

_Aizen had heard the slight tremor in her voice, and seen it for what it was. He had pulled out of her, taken his Zanpakutou from the side of the bed, unsheathed it again. Harribel's eyes closed again, lids limp and devoid of fear, as if she were waiting for him to finish her. _

_Aizen leant down to kiss her again, his mouth moving away just as quickly. 'I thank you,' he had said, meaning the opposite. 'Please let me give you a token of my gratitude.'_

_If she had been a human, the blow would have slit her throat. Aizen had wanted her to bleed. He had wanted her to experience the pain of death, without the release of dying. She had risen away from him when he'd finally given her leave to go, pallid underneath her tanned skin. Despite that, she had exited the bedroom with quiet dignity, and he could see her revulsion at both of them in her eyes. _

_He had removed the mirror and the bloodied bed sheets after that. _

* * *

Had it been out of concern for her feelings? Of course not. The feelings of other people had never been something that interested Aizen enough to make him care.

He had felt no concern for Tia Harribel, no remorse of any kind for shattering her so completely and breaking her beyond repair. She couldn't have been so broken beyond sanity. She had been able to look down on him as she'd left his bed, after all.

Those watching this scenario, his "massacre" of Soul Society, would believe they'd figured out why Aizen had punished her. There was a perfectly logical reason behind it, after all. Harribel had taken no care to conceal her attempt to warn Amane Renata of Aizen. She had done it in full view of anyone who'd cared to look, not even trying to find a blind spot where the camera footage wouldn't give her away. The plan, if it could even be called that, had obviously been so poorly-thought out that it required execution on the spur of the moment. And Renata had turned around, throwing it back in the female Espada's face.

Aizen smiled down at Hirako Shinji, who was facing him now, an arrogant smirk showing too-obvious teeth and a gleam of anticipation in his eyes. Doubtless the man believed he could defeat Aizen with ease, with whatever laughable Zanpakutou ability he had seen fit to conceal. Aizen doubted any illusory power could match that of Kyouka Suigetsu, despite her personality flaws. In any case, Kyouka Suigetsu's pride would never allow her to let him lose to another illusion-type Zanpakutou. She was like him, and she wouldn't be able to stomach the thought of defeat at the hands of Sakanade.

Aizen wondered for a moment if Sakanade had defied Hirako Shinji in the same way Kyouka Suigetsu had resisted him, all his life. The idea was a fancy only. No one else could simulate Bankai as he could. Someone weaker and more emotionally inclined would doubtless entertain rose-tinted fantasies of bonding with his former Captain over their Zanpakutous' difficulties, of Hirako helping his lieutenant finally achieve Bankai.

Aizen almost laughed at the thought of it. He made some inane comment aloud about the unusual appearance of Hirako's Shikai, watched him release, pretended to be surprised at the fact that direction was now reversed. He could have guessed it if he'd attached any importance to the nature of Sakanade. It was so like Hirako for his illusion-based Shikai, that supposedly valued secret, to be something so laughably straightforward as direction reversal. It was a visual illusion only, and Aizen acted accordingly.

Kyouka Suigetsu flashed in his mind, offering less resistance than usual, and Aizen subtly altered Hirako's perceptions, letting Hirako believe that his attacks were landing, that he was breaking through Aizen's guard. He was to feign defeat in the end, he knew, and it would be a spectacular "defeat" at that. But that was no reason to allow filth like Hirako the privilege of wounding - however lightly - a god.

Eventually Aizen grew tired of the pretence, and Kyouka Suigetsu sliced through Hirako's shirt, wounding his back.

_It's child's play, Hirako Shinji._

It was fitting, because Hirako would always be more child than man. Aizen decided he would leave the man just barely alive, for now at least. He fully intended to witness Hirako's expression change when he learned that he was living in a world controlled by the lieutenant he'd always talked down to.

Aizen Sousuke was nobody's lieutenant, and Hirako would pay dearly for assuming that he could command a god.

Such was the fate of those who offered condescension up to him.

* * *

Aizen, like me, really really hates it when people talk down to him. Like Rei does. I was going to do another childhood flashback, but the one I had in mind - let's just say it'd be revealing too much too soon.

Fucking Shinji. He was so, so mean to gorgeous Lieutenant Aizen. (I'm pretty sure that this is because he, like _everyone else in Bleach, _wants Aizen in the pants, but doesn't like the idea of admitting it to himself. Sorry, Shinji. I am never going to write Aizen-sama with you. You're not pretty enough for him.)

My take on the Shinji-Aizen fight - who else noticed that the "cuts" on Aizen's arm and leg never appeared again later on in the Fake Karakura Town arc? I came up with the theory that Aizen was just letting Shinji _think _that he was hitting him, while laughing to himself.


	74. For The Love Of The Crimson King

One-handed typing = FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK

I think I would've actually killed myself if it had been my right arm in the cast instead of my left. Explanation: I injured myself at karate last week, and have been bitching about it to pretty well everyone. Moving on now.

Plus I have a confession to make. I am a horrible fangirl. And Sousuke-sama will never forgive me for saying this, but I'm going to say it anyway.

I…can't stand the butterfly form. I find it extremely creepy. Particularly the fact that he hasn't got eyebrows. And Sousuke's all stereotypical-evil-villain-laugh-ness. It feels weird on so many levels, and just plain wrong to boot. Congratulations, Kubo. You successfully ass-raped Aizen's character and made the fight between him and Ichigo like something out of a bad fanfiction. It's already pissing me off. The only thing that was awesome about that fight was Kami-sama's Kurohitsugi, and even then it didn't make frickin' Ichigo bleed.

What is implied by this fight: Ichigo is greater than Komamura Sajin, Yamamoto Genryuusai, and pretty well everyone who's tried to fight Aizen-Kami and failed. No. Just no. And Ichigo was doing so well too, he was actually looking semi-attractive in this episode, and then he went and ruined it by insulting Aizen. And by being…more attractive than the butterfly.

Seriously. When Kubo drew Hougyoku form Mark Three…he must have been high. On _something. _Bring on the Fourth Form, bitch.

Anyway…anime episode rant is over.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 74

For The Love Of The Crimson King

_

* * *

Would you mind if I hurt you?_

_Understand that I need to_

_Wish that I had other choices_

_Than to harm the one I love._

…

_Would you mind if I killed you?_

_Would you mind if I tried to?_

...

_You have turned into my worst enemy. _

**-What Have You Done, Within Temptation**

Rei watched Szayel stand, saw him shaking as Sousuke continued to fight on the screen, obviously no longer paying any attention to Harribel. He glanced in her direction. That distraught, despairing look in his yellow eyes unsettled her more than anything else. Rei could clearly remember her first few days in Las Noches. Back then, Szayel had unnerved her more than a little, mostly due to the amount of time he'd dedicated to undressing her with his eyes.

If Szayel was affected this badly by Harribel's death -

If Rei needed any further confirmation that betraying Sousuke would be justified, that was it.

He was still looking at her, and Rei realized, not without surprise, that he was waiting for her permission to leave.

'Would you be able to show me the fight between Yammy Riyulga and the two Soul Society captains again, please, Szayel-san?' she asked first.

Szayel leant towards the screen, brushing his fingers against the holographic keyboard at the bottom almost robotically. An image flickered, replacing Sousuke's view through the iris camera. Yammy's massive, bloodied corpse was lying prone on the dead white sands of Hueco Mundo, unmoving. The two captains who'd been fighting him were nowhere to be seen.

'With your leave, Amane-dono, I will retrieve him,' Szayel said, voice dull. 'Hopefully he is still alive.'

Rei nodded automatically, then did a double take. 'Why would you want him to be alive?' she asked, knowing there hadn't exactly been a lot of love lost between Yammy and the other Espada.

Szayel blinked, taking a moment to answer. 'I need him alive if I am to develop your weapon, Amane-dono,' he replied.

Rei nodded finally, giving him leave to go. Szayel vanished in a Sonido, and she and Grimmjow were left alone in the room together. Suddenly the silence in the laboratory felt heavy, awkward even.

She stared fixedly at the computer screen, seeing Sousuke dodging Hirako Shinji's attacks with ease, seeing the blond man's complacent grin. Obviously Kyouka Suigetsu was at work, making Hirako believe that his attacks were landing.

A dark blot fuzzed out the edge of the screen. Rei peered closer. Was the camera faulty? No, she knew it would offend Szayel's pride as a scientist to have faulty equipment.

The view adjusted slightly, and she realized Sousuke's eyes were focusing on the blot. The picture slowly sharpened. It looked like some sort of giant Hollow, a Menos maybe. Rei saw to her distaste that it resembled an oversized fruit fly, antennae and all.

The fruit fly was fighting against a Shinigami Captain with the head of a dog instead of a human, who Rei remembered was called Komamura Sajin. She remembered something else Ichimaru had told her, and her mind raced. Komamura Sajin had been close to Tousen when the man had still been Captain of the Ninth Division, and the dark-skinned Shinigami was nowhere to be seen on the monitor. Of course, her view was limited to whatever Sousuke was currently looking at - but considering Sousuke himself was currently engaged in battle, Rei thought it more than likely.

Tousen Kaname had Hollowfied, and her blood complex would have been activated by now.

Rei chewed her lip. She wished she'd thought to ask Szayel how long the enzyme reagent would take to affect the host body. Then she remembered that it was unlikely the Arrancar scientist would know, considering the very sketchy information she'd given him regarding the compound's identity. She'd told him just enough so that he could synthesize the larger quantity she required.

She watched Tousen from the corner of the screen as Sousuke continued to. Clearly he, too, was curious as to whether the complex would be effective or not.

Perhaps it wouldn't. Perhaps she - or Szayel - had made a mistake while manufacturing it. Perhaps she hadn't had enough of it made. But no, one hundred milligrams in solution should have been more than sufficient -

Sousuke had made it clear that he had wanted Kaname disposed of, and that the task was her responsibility.

Rei bit her lip harder, tasting blood. She wanted to laugh at herself. Why was she worrying about displeasing Sousuke, even now? She was going to stab him in the back, after all, and then it would no longer matter whether he had ordered her to do anything.

No, she corrected herself. She needed to speak to Kyouka Suigetsu first. She had one condition to specify, and only then - provided Kyouka Suigetsu agreed, of course - could the deal proceed.

The screen flared green, Sousuke's voice emitting from the speaker in a crackle. '_It's been a while, has it not, ryoka boy?_' He sounded amused. '_Your attack was good, but the place you aimed for wasn't._'

Rei recalled. She had watched him place that shield Kidou on the back of his neck. Sousuke possessed enough reiatsu that he wouldn't constantly need to replenish the spell as she herself would have. It was similar to the thirty-ninth Bakudou spell, Enkosen, but at a higher level -

What was she doing? She had more important things to do than to puzzle over the name of some Kidou. Talking to Kyouka Suigetsu was the foremost of them. Rei still wasn't sure how to purposely enter Sousuke's inner world - was even still nervous about doing it, considering she'd made sure he was aware of her intrusion. But surely the Zanpakutou would let her in if she wanted to prevent Sousuke from attaining Bankai that badly.

'Hey, Amane.' It was Grimmjow. 'You look sick,' he said, concern in his eyes despite what looked like a sneer on his lips. 'Are you worried for Aizen?'

With considerable effort, Rei composed herself. She was more emotionally fragile than she'd originally thought, and she needed to keep a tight rein on herself around her subordinates. 'No,' she replied. 'I know how strong he is. I know he's smarter than any of those fools. He won't lose.'

Grimmjow laughed bitterly. 'Or so he thinks.'

Rei forced down an angry retort. She couldn't voice her support of Sousuke in front of Grimmjow, of all people. Grimmjow had to think that she was on his side, until whenever she decided to get rid of him. He hadn't stopped being useful yet.

Rei didn't want to admit her other reason for keeping Grimmjow blindly loyal to her, even to herself. The sensation of vulnerability, the comfort of knowing she had someone - even someone she'd lied to - who would stay by her side no matter what…

That was something Sousuke would have never felt.

Rei watched Kurosaki Ichigo hang out of Sousuke's reach, fear widening his eyes, too timid to attack. How could Sousuke possibly lose? This boy was his test subject. Kurosaki was supposed to be the strongest of them, and even he was too scared to point his Zanpakutou in Sousuke's direction.

Sousuke would kill them all soon. She didn't have much time.

Rei stood. 'I do feel a little sick,' she admitted, not even needing to lie. 'I'm going to go and sleep for a while. Wake me up - if anything important happens.'

Grimmjow nodded, and Rei left the room. Suddenly she felt her stomach twist, a sour taste in the back of her throat, and sprinted. Thankfully she remembered where the bathroom in Szayel's palace was.

She managed to force the door open just in time, collapsing over the sink. Rei had the presence of mind to hold her hair back with one hand before her stomach let go and she retched into the basin, feeling hot and ill and dizzy.

She was going to pieces. She'd been feeling nervous and nauseous for a few days now, but the fact that she'd actually thrown up from the strain of it all -

She was losing it. She really didn't have much time.

Rei stared at her face in the mirror above the sink. Her lips looked nastily pallid, her face white and coated with a sick clammy sheen. Strands of hair were clinging to her forehead, which was damp with perspiration.

She looked like a corpse, and she would be one soon if Sousuke returned and she hadn't made the deal.

That made the nauseous feeling swell up inside Rei again. She bent over the sink, pushing her hair back, and promptly vomited a second time.

_Oh God, _she thought to herself. _Oh God oh God oh God. _Her left hand, as though a stranger's over which Rei had no control, turned the tap. Water came out, and she mechanically washed her face and mouth, rinsing out the sink when she was done.

_Oh God. I need to do it now. _

Shivering, Rei sank to the bathroom floor, curling into a ball. She let her eyelids shut, drifting into blissful unconsciousness away from herself.

**

* * *

**

The fall made her stomach drop away, and her lungs fly into her throat. She was falling towards the garden, the memory with the intensely private feel to it, the intrinsic sense that she most definitely was not allowed to be there. Rei didn't have the energy to resist it. He knew already that she'd made it down here. There was no point hiding it any longer.

She just needed to find his Zanpakutou.

Rei looked in front of her. Lilies like the one she'd made were growing near her feet, and she was behind an arch, honeysuckle twining around graceful curls of wrought iron. One of the blossoms brushed her nose, and she wrinkled it. Even here, any sort of smell made her feel sick.

_Kyouka, _she thought, as hard as she could. _Kyouka Suigetsu. _

She could hear laughter in the distance. Rei moved through the arch, looking closer. She could see the figure of the woman, tall with brown hair lit up from behind by the late afternoon sun over the horizon. The woman was holding the little blond boy's hand, laughing and scolding him in one breath as he tried to pull the dark girl's ponytail.

'Kyouka Suigetsu,' she whispered aloud.

The woman turned to face Rei. She abandoned the children, the little boy letting go of her hand with a questioning look on his face. 'I'll be back in a moment, darlings,' she called.

The Zanpakutou drew closer to Rei, still smiling. 'Ah, so you've decided to stay here for longer this time,' she said. Her voice was light and pleasant, as if Rei were a houseguest and she were offering tea.

Rei narrowed her eyes at the woman, trying to figure out who she was. Her eyes were brown with a tinge of green near the pupil, framed with a beginning set of crows-feet. Rei guessed she was in her late thirties, early forties perhaps. The woman had full, smiling lips and was quite pretty. She bore more than a passing resemblance to Sousuke, particularly in the shape of her eyes and mouth.

'This isn't a social visit. I've come about your proposition,' Rei told her bluntly.

Kyouka Suigetsu's lips curved, obviously pleased. 'So I see, dear. I'd hardly expect you to intrude upon Sousuke-kun's most private of inner sanctums otherwise.'

'Obviously you spend a lot of time in here,' Rei replied, her curiosity getting the better of her. 'Where -'

'- exactly, is here?' Kyouka Suigetsu finished for her. 'As I'm sure you know, it's a memory, and rather a significant memory for Sousuke-kun at that. Call it the point of no return, if you will.' Her smile widened. 'But we digress, do we not? You wish to discuss business. I take it you've decided to accept my offer of help.'

Rei considered making a snide comment about how the Zanpakutou was perfectly capable of being civil when she looked like getting what she wanted, but thought better of it. 'I have something to ask before I agree,' she said instead, reaching down idly to pick a lily. 'It's my provision for accepting, if you like.'

'So I see,' Kyouka Suigetsu repeated.

Rei twirled the lily stem around her finger, hesitating, not sure how to phrase her question. Eventually she decided to just ask it bluntly, like she had with Ichimaru. 'What happens to Sousuke when you defeat him? Will you - kill him?' She didn't meet the Zanpakutou's eyes.

'Oh, I understand. You still love him, don't you, darling? You don't want him to die.'

Rei ignored the mocking lilt in Kyouka Suigetsu's words. 'Just answer,' she said. 'And don't lie.'

'_A Zanpakutou is born with their Shinigami, and dies with their Shinigami._' Kyouka Suigetsu raised her fingers in quotation marks. 'Tell me, dear, what reason I could possibly have for wanting to commit suicide.'

Rei instantly felt silly. _I could have worked that out for myself, _she thought, cursing her own short-sightedness. _I could have agreed days ago and saved myself throwing up in Szayel's bathroom sink. _

'All right then,' she said. 'I'll do it. I'll answer whatever questions you need me to, and you'll give me Sousuke's powers once you beat him.'

Kyouka Suigetsu nodded. 'Agreed.' She smiled again, holding out her hand. 'A pleasure doing business with you.'

Rei ignored the gesture, turning away. She knew how to wake up now. She could feel reality far above the surface of the dream, and she let herself float towards it.

**

* * *

**

And then she was awake on the bathroom floor again, still shivering, still tasting faint sourness on her tongue, swollen in her dry mouth.

Rei stood shakily. She had done it. She could relax now. She could breathe, because she had won.

She, of all people, had been the one to bring down Aizen Sousuke. And at the end of it all, she would be able to keep him. She hadn't expected to be able to have her cake and eat it too.

Rei wasn't so naïve as to think that Sousuke would love her, or be willing to be her lover after his own Zanpakutou had cheated him out of Bankai and stolen his powers. But she had manipulated her skill to her advantage to bring him down and save herself in one fell swoop. He would defeat Soul Society, and then Rei would have his abilities, and she would be queen of all the world instead of just Las Noches.

In time, perhaps, Sousuke might come to respect her for defeating him. That was all Rei could hope for.

She certainly couldn't hope to ask him to understand. And there was no way in the real world or Soul Society or Hueco Mundo that he would hate her any less if Rei asked him not to.

She knew the deal she'd made, and knew the consequences. But it was the best she could hope for.

Only an idiot wouldn't take the opportunity she'd been given.

* * *

Shit's getting reeeeeeeeal…

Needless to say, it's not all going to go according to Rei's plan. That's all I'm going to give away for now. (Except for Tousen exploding in a shower of blood and gore. That was very much planned by both Rei and Aizen.)

Come on, guys. You know how much of an Aizen fangirl I am. Do you seriously think I could bring myself to screw him over? Just hold onto that thought, and try not to hate me too much for what I do to him in the coming chapters.


	75. Cold Blue

This has been a while coming, I know. Sorry about that…I haven't really been in the mood to write much lately. I seem to be one of those people who only feel inspired when they're moody and depressed…I knew there was a downside to having this happy bubble.

Chibi Aizen's all pissed off and refusing to talk to me. Eh, he'll get over it eventually.

I was originally going to write another Grimmjow chapter…and then I realized it'd be all internal reflection, and that'd be boring to write. So here's another Aizen chapter, with another memory. He, unlike Rei, has figured out why she's feeling so sick…

And this chapter's song lyric is from Aizen's Bleach Beat Collection. He (a.k.a. Shou Hayami) has a gorgeous singing voice. I could listen to it all day. And his voice message…cough cough phone sex…there'd better be a translation of it on the Internet somewhere, or I'm just going to imagine he's murmuring sweet nothings (or M-rated somethings) into my ear.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

_

* * *

Fifth Movement:_

_**Mother and Father**  
_

* * *

Chapter 75

Cold Blue

_

* * *

This brave person with a brave appearance_

_Resembles the flowers in full bloom. _

_Let's send the rain down and make it to the end_

_Let's send the rain pouring down on everything. _

…

_Let's stand on the flower petals that shower and scatter. _

**-Hanabira, Bleach Beat Collection 3rd**** Session (Aizen Sousuke), (English Translation)**

Yamamoto Genryuusai had proved even easier to defeat - with the aid of Wonderweiss, of course - than Aizen had anticipated. He spared a moment to glance down at the charred and barely-breathing corpse of the Soutaicho, and regretted for an instant the necessity of leaving the old man alive. Yamamoto's attempts at condescension towards Aizen had been mildly amusing at first, but had rapidly grown tiresome.

Aizen smiled at his new opponent, the former Shinigami who'd so rudely interrupted his conversation with Kurosaki Ichigo. Kurosaki Isshin's breathing was already beginning to deepen after those first few brief clashes of their blades. Clearly the former Captain of the Tenth Division hadn't kept himself in shape during his long absence.

It astounded him, how foolish they were, all these Shinigami. All the captains of the Gotei 13, relatively strong individuals although insignificant as ants in comparison to Aizen's own power, were staunchly loyal to an ancient man whose power had been at its peak centuries ago. Yamamoto Genryuusai had long since hit his stride, despite his claim that no Shinigami had been born yet who could defeat him in a fight.

Aizen's lips curled in amusement as he recalled his own battle with the almighty Soutaicho - if it could even be called a battle. He had felt the heat of the 'forbidden' level ninety-six Hadou, Ittou Kasou, or Single Blade Cremation - although no Kidou were forbidden to Gods, and it had been so predictable of Yamamoto, to use a fire-type Hadou. He had had to feign the indignity of being injured by it. In truth, the spell had barely managed to singe his reiatsu.

If old Genryuusai had passed away peacefully in his bed - as he was bound to have done one day - instead of eventually meeting his death at Aizen's hands, what would have happened? Aizen knew his words to the Soutaicho hadn't been entirely true. Soul Society would be in chaos for a time if the old man died - but eventually they would have to take the logical course of action, and elect a new Soutaicho.

It would have to be one of the current captains, that was certain, and one that had held his or her post for long enough - at least a century - to warrant the promotion. The three obvious candidates for Soutaicho would be Kyouraku Shunsui, Unohana Retsu and Ukitake Juushirou. The last of those was the most logical choice, but the Central 46 would have to be bigger fools than even Aizen had thought to choose a captain in ill health for the position of Soutaicho. And obviously Kyouraku, with his tendency to overindulge with sake and women, was out of the question as the leader of the Gotei 13.

Unohana Retsu, of the Fourth Division? A possibility, although an unlikely one. The medical squad had been viewed too long as the weakest of the thirteen Divisions. With those three longest-serving captains logically eliminated, the next likely candidate would be Aizen himself. He smiled to himself at the thought of it, and saw Kurosaki Isshin scowl in response, as if the ex-captain thought Aizen were laughing at him. The Central 46 would never place the entire Gotei 13 at the disposal of the Omnitsukidou by electing Sui-Feng as Soutaicho, and in any case she lacked the power to do it. The others, including Tousen Kaname and excluding Gin and Aizen, either didn't possess the power or lacked the ability to lead. And no one in their right mind would consider the snakelike Ichimaru Gin for Soutaicho. After all, Gin would eventually attempt to betray Aizen the traitor himself.

No, if Aizen had simply bided his time in Soul Society, hiding behind his mask and waiting for the Soutaicho to die, he would have eventually gained the position of Captain-Commander. He would have carried it far better than Yamamoto Genryuusai, far beyond his prime. Aizen wondered briefly how long it had been since the Soul Society had been led by a young, handsome Soutaicho at the peak of his powers. But he intended to rise far higher than that paltry position, because he, unlike the rest of the village idiots in Soul Society, possessed ambition.

* * *

'_Do I hide myself?' he asked her. _

_Kyouka Suigetsu regarded him with yellow eyes, in her dark-skinned child's face. 'That depends,' she replied. _

_Aizen crossed his legs, sitting on the surface of the water. It was hard and reflective like a mirror, occasionally rippling in solid waves underneath him. Oddly enough, the sensation wasn't strange in the slightest. 'On what?' he replied. _

_Kyouka Suigetsu laughed. 'What you mean, of course.' She narrowed her eyes at him, an expression of mock-suspicion on her face. 'You never struck me as the type who would want to hide himself, Shinji-kun.'_

'_They're frightened of me,' he told her, unable to stop the scorn from curling his lip. 'None of them ever talk to me.'_

'_You can't mean the other Rukongai children?' Kyouka Suigetsu giggled again, the high childish giggle of the little dark girl in the garden. 'Are you lonely, Shinji-kun?' Her smile fell at that. She leaned forward, took his hand in her own. To someone else watching, the scene would have been simple and innocent, sweet even, two children holding hands. _

'_You don't need to be lonely,' she told him, serious now. 'You're the strongest. None of them are good enough for you anyway.'_

'_That isn't what Mother says,' Aizen replied. _

_Kyouka Suigetsu scowled. 'You think she matters?' she answered, sarcasm heavily present in her voice. 'She's just another village idiot, just like the rest of them. You know that.'_

_Aizen nodded. 'You're right, Kyouka.' _

'_She isn't good enough for you, Shinji-kun,' his Zanpakutou continued. She squeezed his hand, and smiled at him. 'None of the other Zanpakutou were good enough for you either. It was only me.'_

_Aizen changed the topic. 'You didn't answer my question,' he told her. 'Do I hide myself? My true self?'_

_Kyouka Suigetsu paused, considering. 'From what I've seen, you're good at pretending to be one of the sheep. Those children must be able to sense your reiatsu.'_

'_My reiatsu?' Of course, Aizen knew what the word meant. He'd studied Shinigami further since his first contact with Kyouka Suigetsu. 'Are my Shinigami powers manifesting already?'_

_She smiled. 'Yes. I told you, you're the strongest.'_

'_Will you appear as a sword soon?' he asked her. Aizen knew his Zanpakutou had to materialize physically eventually. _

_She shrugged. 'Maybe. A Shinigami's Zanpakutou doesn't know when he - or she - will develop a physical manifestation. It depends on the Shinigami. And we're special, Shinji-kun.'_

_Aizen nodded again, because it was true. 'I don't like that name,' he said, almost as an afterthought. 'I never have.'_

_Kyouka Suigetsu's laughter filled his inner world. 'Choose a new one,' she said. 'Do whatever you like.'_

_Aizen shrugged, dismissing the suggestion. He couldn't think of a suitable name for himself off the top of his head. Something like that required time, and a reinvention of himself as well as a simple choice of name. All the people who knew him by his birth name would have to be disposed of, of course, and that was easier said than done. _

'_Kyouka?' he asked. 'What do you do? What's your power?'_

'_You've asked me before,' she said. 'And I've told you. When I materialize into physical form, I'll tell you my Shikai. Besides -'_

_She gestured with her arms at the water-mirror-world, at the two of them. 'Isn't this enough for now?' she asked him. 'You don't have to be alone. You have me.'_

_Aizen waited for a moment before answering. 'I suppose it is,' he said. 'You understand me. None of - the sheep - do.' He paused. 'I like you, Kyouka,' he told her. 'I'm glad you're my Zanpakutou.'_

_Kyouka Suigetsu giggled again. 'And I'm glad I chose you, Shinji-kun,' she said. _

* * *

Laughable.

Kurosaki Isshin scowled again. 'Don't talk down to me,' he muttered, swinging his sword again.

Aizen parried his strike with ease, smiling again. He hadn't realized he'd spoken aloud, but no matter. Kurosaki Isshin and his powers, his feelings, what he sought to protect, were of no importance.

The world would belong to Aizen Sousuke, and his queen, and his ambition - and his child.

Aizen wondered, as he fought Kurosaki Isshin, how long it would take his dear Renata to realize she had missed her menstrual cycle by more than a month. Perhaps she was unaware that even freed of a physical body, her soul's body would still function the same way.

Indeed, biology held its own peculiar fascination for Aizen - part of what had led him to experiment with merging Shinigami with Hollows. He had closely monitored Tia Harribel after he had taken her virginity, so to speak, and had administered a sedative in order to examine her. He had been highly interested to learn that she had managed to conceive an embryo - a tiny, barely developed thing almost invisible under ultrasound. Aizen had been tempted to allow it to grow, to observe the offspring of a powerful Shinigami and a strong Espada.

He had eventually made the decision that Tia Harribel was not worthy to carry his child, and had terminated it. It still occasionally amused him that the Tres Espada, who feared and loathed him, had unknowingly been the mother of his child for a few brief moments.

He had needed to take no such measures with Renata to determine whether or not she had conceived. Doubtless the girl would have excused herself from physical intimacy with him if she had begun to bleed, trying to awkwardly explain while blushing.

Aizen allowed himself to wonder what their child would look like. He knew his looks and Renata's would combine favourably. For all her insistence otherwise, she was quite attractive, although still in the awkward final developmental stage of adolescence. When she reached adulthood, she would be striking to say the least, more confronting and appealing than Inoue Orihime's soft, innocent archetype of female beauty.

She had been a fortunate find indeed. And now it was time to orchestrate the final stages of his so-called defeat.

Aizen paused in their sword fight, allowing his body to lean forwards slightly, exposing the Hougyoku implanted in his chest.

'What's the matter?' Kurosaki Isshin called out. 'You've been getting slower. You look like you're at your limit.'

Aizen smiled before replying. 'Yes,' he acknowledged. 'You are correct. I have reached my limit. My limit as a Shinigami, that is.'

He could feel the Hougyoku's presence flare in his body, and subtly altered its course as it attempted to evolve him. He would not demonstrate his full level of control over the Hougyoku yet. These were not worthy of witnessing it, at least not now.

Kurosaki Ichigo, all those he had defeated but left alive - they would all grow stronger, and then they would be knocked down again when Renata retrieved him from Avici.

She would only see his true evolution, not this façade, this imperfection. After all, she was his queen, the mother of his child, and she would rule by his side.

Aizen smiled. She deserved the best.

* * *

It's so Aizen to realize his significant other is pregnant before she figures it out herself.

Yes, it's a pregnancy plot twist. This totally hasn't been done before. *sarcasm* But there's a different spin on it, and kind of a depressing spin. Not that I'm going to reveal what it is. Please don't accuse me of lacking creativity! I swear it's going to be original and stuff.

* * *

Aizen: She is worthy of carrying my spawn. You are not, woman.

Me: Get over it, chibi Aizen. I wrote your chapter, now quit your bitching.

Aizen: Simple-minded woman! You think I'm annoyed at you because you took so long to update!

Me: Okay then, why are you so grumpy?

Aizen: You cheated on me! How dare you? I do the cheating! ME!

Me: What the hell? It wasn't like we had a relationship or anything. You'd just sit in the corner and look at me while cackling evilly in your high-pitched chibi voice.

Aizen: I did it with love! You have no right to a boyfriend!

Me: Oh, shut up. *tapes him in a cardboard box*

* * *

Hopefully I've made everyone curious as to Aizen's past. I'm really liking contrasting child Aizen - who's introverted just like Rei was before she met him - with his adult self. These flashbacks are really fun to write. And Yoruichi will end up being important to the plot. You'll see why.


	76. Aspect of Death

Hooray, university starts again next week! It's sad that I'm actually excited. Have any of you guys had a really, really awkward moment recently? Because I have. Here's what happened:

This guy I go to uni with asked me to be his girlfriend last year. I didn't feel the same way and turned him down, but we're still friends. He just so happened to see me with my boyfriend today, and was speaking to me afterwards, looking all depressed, and being like 'Is he your boyfriend?'…AWKWAAAARD. Usually I laugh at awkwardness and feed on it like some kind of weird awkwardness vampire…

…but that was too awkward even for me.

Okay, that completely-off-topic strange little story is out of the way. I just thought I'd share it with the class, so to speak. Ooh, and guess what, I can't sleep and haven't been able to for the past few days - so I'm staying up late writing in order to make myself sleepy. Hooray for partial insomnia.

Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 76

Aspect of Death

_

* * *

Help me understand why_

_You've given in to all these_

_Reckless dark desires. _

**-The Outsider, A Perfect Circle**

'_You are correct. I have reached my limit.' _Grimmjow could hear the smugness in the bastard's voice, and knew that this was all going to Aizen's plan. He wondered for a moment how Amane would feel, if Aizen ended up losing. She had to have considered it. He knew she had - he'd heard it in her voice and unspoken words before.

But she loved him, as well. Which would win out, if Aizen died? Her relief at being free of him, or the despair of losing him?

'_My limit as a Shinigami, that is.'_

There was a hiss and crackle of static. Grimmjow waited for it to pass, and then glanced sideways at the Octava Espada when it didn't.

Szayel had visibly lost control of himself after he'd returned, obviously from retrieving Yammy Riyulga. He had blanched whiter than Amane, slumped in his seat, head in his hands. His breathing was ragged, as though he'd just come out of a fight.

Grimmjow turned in his own chair. 'Aporro,' he said.

Szayel half-raised his head, glancing at Grimmjow. His eyes were glazed, as if not really seeing. He took in another long, deep, shuddering breath. Then his pallid lips cracked into a half-smile with something definitively lunatic about it.

Grimmjow fought his urge to recoil. 'Aporro,' he said, raising his voice. 'The sound's not working.' He sounded callous, he knew. God knew he would probably be the same if Aizen did something like that to Amane. But for the first time, Szayel Aporro Granz was scaring the shit out of him.

'Snap the fuck out of it!' he barked. 'The sound's not fucking working - and neither is the screen.'

Szayel laughed then, a high girlish giggle. 'Who gives a fuck, Grimmjow-sama?' he asked, in an equally high-pitched mocking voice. 'Let me ask you, Sexta-san, who the hell do you think actually gives a shit?'

Grimmjow seized him by the shoulders, digging his fingers hard into the other's Hierro through his clothes. He wasn't exactly being gentle. Even an Arrancar would have felt what he was doing. But there was no flinch of pain on Szayel's face, no registering of Grimmjow's bruising grip. They were both frozen, meeting each other's eyes, until Szayel finally slumped forward, his hair hanging in his eyes.

'Insanity,' he murmured. 'Isn't that right? Isn't that me?'

'Snap out of it,' Grimmjow repeated.

'Wouldn't you agree that I'm entitled to that much, Jaggerjack?' Szayel's head still hung limply, as if it were attached only superficially to his neck and shoulders. 'Just let me -' He paused, breathing in again, the air rattling in his lungs. 'Let me have my - fucking death by insanity.'

'No.' Grimmjow's hands pressed tighter. 'Look at me, Aporro.'

Szayel laughed. 'Fuck you.' But he looked up anyway. Grimmjow could see the other Espada's narrowed eyes, slightly bloodshot - and was that a tear lingering in the corner of one of them, a silvery trail down Szayel's cheek?

He looked away. There were some things no one else was supposed to witness, and such a personal grief was one of them.

'Fix it,' he said, looking at the computer, because he didn't know what else to say. He didn't know what would possibly console Szayel Aporro Granz, who'd just seen the woman he loved cut down by the man who had raped her. Knowing would mean that Grimmjow would have known how to deal with it himself, knowing that Amane had - _been _- with Aizen…

His throat tightened, and he released the pink-haired Arrancar scientist. The picture on the monitor was flickering, the footage interspersed with increasingly prolonged bursts of grey static.

Szayel leant over the keyboard, almost robotically entering commands. He was slow, much slower than usual, as if he'd grown old like a human. 'Interference,' he said finally, heavily.

'What?' Grimmjow asked.

Szayel looked up, his eyes glazing again as if explaining were an immense amount of effort. 'Interference,' he repeated, a trace of impatience in his voice. 'The camera I implanted was made to withstand his reiatsu - but Aizen -' He hesitated visibly over the end of the Shinigami's name, as if wondering whether to use the honorific. 'Aizen,' he continued after the delay, 'must be increasing his strength with the Hougyoku.'

'And what's that supposed to mean?' Grimmjow folded his arms across his chest. 'His spirit energy is interfering with the electromagnetic wavelength the camera uses to transmit the feed back to me.' Szayel paused to take a breath. 'I was never given much data on the Hougyoku. I don't know what is likely to happen from this point.'

_That _sounded familiar. Grimmjow supposed Aizen was only telling his subordinates what they needed to know, yet again. He balled his fists, releasing them again when a thought occurred to him.

'Where's Amane?' he asked.

'Amane-dono said she wasn't feeling well.' Szayel turned to glance at him, that impatience back in his voice again. 'She said it while you were in the room, Jaggerjack.'

Grimmjow scowled. 'Don't get all high and fucking mighty with me, Aporro,' he muttered. 'I'm going to go and find her.'

Szayel sighed heavily. 'She said she was sleeping. You're only going to wake her up -'

'It's all right, Szayel-san. I'm here now.'

Grimmjow started. He hadn't even felt the girl's reiatsu as she'd entered the computer room, let alone heard her footsteps. 'Amane,' he said, looking up at her.

He'd been going to ask if she was all right, but that question became redundant as soon as he caught sight of her. Clearly Amane's rest hadn't done her any good. If anything, she looked worse.

She was starkly pale, her lips carrying a bluish tint, her eyes bright and ill-looking. Her hair was tangled around her face instead of coiled in its usual immaculate knot at the back of her head, and Grimmjow could smell it on her, the same smell of human sickness he'd been disgusted by the day she'd thrown up in the sands of Hueco Mundo.

'Shit,' he breathed. 'Amane -'

She raised a hand. 'I'm fine,' she said, attempting a brittle smile. 'I slept for a bit. I feel much better now.' She moved closer to the computer terminal. 'Did you get Yammy, Szayel-san?'

Grimmjow was a little taken aback at that. He could see that Szayel was just as haggard-looking as Amane was, and surely she could see it too. _It wouldn't kill her to give him some space, _he thought.

But Szayel was nodding, numb-looking and slow. 'I have placed him under suspended animation. He is alive, although in critical condition.'

'Thank you,' Amane said, and Grimmjow saw her frown as she glimpsed the computer screen. 'What's wrong with the camera?' she asked.

The static had gotten worse now, on both the audio and the video. Grimmjow could see flashes of a dark-skinned woman, the same woman he'd seen through Ulquiorra's shattered eye that day, a man in a striped hat and a male Shinigami. They all appeared to be trying to fight Aizen.

'It's Lord Aizen's reiatsu -' Szayel began, obviously using the title for Amane's benefit, but then the screen went black.

Amane's face instantly aged ten years. Grimmjow stared in alarm, seeing her mouth open, tears begin to well up in her eyes.

'The camera's signal has been blocked entirely,' Szayel finished. 'We can no longer witness Lord Aizen's fight.'

'No.' Amane's voice was a gasp. 'No, you don't understand.' Tears trickled down her cheeks. 'You don't know what I've done,' she whispered.

Grimmjow could guess what she was referring to, the only thing that could possibly induce this much emotion in her. _I know all too well what you've done with Aizen, _he thought. An unwanted image bloomed in his head, of Amane's fearful pale face, Aizen lowering her onto his bed with that manipulator's smile on his face, the whisper of a lie as he told her he loved her -

'You don't know what I've done,' she repeated. 'What if something happens to him?' She seemed to notice then that she was crying, and wiped angrily at her face with the sleeve of her dress. 'I need to see what's going on,' she said finally. 'I need to know.' She looked at Szayel again. 'It's still possible for you to open a Garganta when he's not here, isn't it?' she asked.

Szayel nodded, and Amane pushed her hair back with her hands, straightening her dress. 'I'm going to go there,' she said finally. 'I need to see.'

* * *

Okay, so just some clarification here:

Rei's emotional reaction at the end might seem at odds with how she was last chapter - if it does, don't worry, it'll all be explained. Also, I have a nagging feeling that there was something I was supposed to mention in this chapter and I forgot to do it. If anything seems iffy, please tell me so that I can facepalm at myself for forgetting and then proceed to fix it.

And finally: who saw this week's anime episode? _Disappoint. _There's no way. No freakin' way that Ichigo can pwn Aizen so level-headedly. God, when Aizen was in the first form, Ichigo was pissing his pants at the thought of fighting him! I sense inconsistency.

Also: Aizen was so, so, so, so, so OOC. WTF? That's all I'm going to say. Aizen even said to Gin that he knew Ichigo was going to come back with new powers. Why the heck was he all like "RAEGFACE!" and surprised? And that Urahara was so mean to Aizen, which was totally unjustified. Why, Urahara, are you picking on Aizen-sama? He never did anything mean to you!

*conveniently ignores the TBTP arc*

I'm going to rewrite canon in this story and make it better. Like, the way it's supposed to be. With Aizen being awesome and pwning everything. (That Fourth Form might have been scary and kinda ugly, but it was badass.) It's sad that I _still _found him sexy, even when Urahara was sealing him off.

Well, at least we get to see him in the bondage outfit next. I'm going to take soooo many screenshots during that episode…*swoons*…Let's face it, Aizen still wins. He's going to spend the next 20,000 years getting laid from all the people who keep sneaking down to Avici to perv on him. By the time he gets out, Ichigo and Yamamoto and Co. will all have dropped dead, and Aizen, with his millions of sex slaves and illegitimate children as his minions, can take over ze vorld.

Like he's supposed to.

Like he was GOING to before goddamn fucking ridiculously overpowered Ichigo trying to be sexy in his Mugetsu form and totally failing at it got in his fucking way…I really hate Ichigo now. Like, really hate him.

I'm going to cut myself off mid-rant (yes, that was only HALF of it) before I make anyone's ears bleed.


	77. Pendulum

Broken laptop is BACK! And broken (oops, I mean torn) hand is all better.

…okay, I'm done. Time to spam everyone with chapter updates XD Also, it's message time.

To freaking EVERYBODY that's reviewed, read or alerted: you are all amazing for spending minutes of your time reading this ridiculously long OC fanfic and leaving comments on it when you could be outside doing something else.

To SuperYuuki: I completely agree with you, these last few chapters have felt like filler to me when I've gone back reading them. I'm stepping things up a notch, like I intended to before my life went slightly pear-shaped.

To Sariniste: as always, thank you, thank you, thank you. There are points at which you and your reviews have been my reason for continuing all my Bleach fics - I can only not give a damn what people think for so long, and your intelligent attentiveness to my writing and occasional screwups are what keep me afloat in my moments of narcissistic writer weakness.

To Cooked Sashimi: I hope you like the moment with Szayel in this chapter. It came to me after I got home late after a night out, while feeling uncharacteristically sentimental. I hope to God the little plot-person sitting in my frontal lobe and spinning me ideas doesn't make me do anything bad to either of them.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 77

Pendulum (Swing)

* * *

_Don't want to forget how it feels_

_Without lithium;_

_I want to stay in love with my sorrow. _

…

_Never wanted it to be so cold,_

_Just didn't drink enough_

_To say you loved me. _

_**-**_**Lithium, Evanescence**

What the hell was she doing?

Rei was confused and angry and despairing at herself. Sousuke had made it quite clear she was nothing to him. He had as good as told her that she couldn't expect to be his again when he returned to Las Noches.

_Please…do not interfere. _

And yet interfering was exactly what she was about to do. _No, _she corrected herself. _I'm not going to do anything. I just want - to see how it plays out. _

She was lying to herself again. She couldn't talk like she was a manipulator on Sousuke's level, as good as him, managing to distance herself completely from her feelings.

She hated to admit it, because she knew that her emotions were what separated her from Sousuke. They were her handicap, the weakness that made her less than him - made her _nothing _to him.

Rei knew why she had to go. She was like an addict needing another fix, and she laughed inwardly at the irony of it. She'd thought she'd risen so far above everyone else in Las Noches, when in reality she'd just joined a cast of thousands.

She was hopelessly in love with Aizen Sousuke, the god-king of Hueco Mundo, and even after betraying him she couldn't stand the thought that something bad might happen to him.

That had been her condition, after all. Rei knew she could have never agreed to Kyouka Suigetsu's deal if it had meant killing him - even knowing what he would eventually do to her if she didn't do _something_.

'So - we're going to the human world, then,' Grimmjow said, looking none too happy about it.

Szayel shook his head. 'No. We've seen already that most of the people strong enough to oppose Lord Aizen have been eliminated.' He looked at Rei. 'We should head to Soul Society, although I'll have to open a Garganta to the human world prior to infiltrating the Senkaimon.'

Soul Society. Rei felt faint apprehension at the idea. It wasn't that she didn't know what to expect - Ichimaru had taught her enough that she had more than a fair idea of what to expect.

'We?' she asked. 'Will you two be coming with me?'

Grimmjow scowled. 'What, did you think we'd send you there alone? Jeez, Amane.' He stood at that, a hand roughly taking hold of her shoulder. 'You're -' He paused, looking away. 'You're queen of Las Noches,' he said finally. 'If he's not here, you're in charge.'

Rei nodded. She knew that it was a sensible idea - and logic besides, she'd feel better having some sort of backup. 'You'll have to hide your reiatsu,' she said. 'You too, Szayel-san.'

Szayel nodded. 'I will prepare the Garganta,' he said, activating the computer screen. It flickered to life, showing the startup page. The Espada's gloved fingers brushed across the keyboard, typing in codes and commands.

Rei could guess that Szayel had another reason for wanting to visit the human world before entering Soul Society. She thought of Tia Harribel, and flinched. She knew all too well why that had happened. Harribel had tried to warn her off Sousuke, for starters. And…she had gone to bed with him too.

That thought made the nausea lurch through Rei again. She could feel it again, the dreadful knowledge that she was going to be sick, and she forced it down. Surely there couldn't be anything left in her to throw up.

Her throat was dry, and she badly wanted a drink of water. Rei didn't dare let anything past her lips, though. She could only recall feeling this awful once before, during a weekend of food poisoning following a shellfish dinner at an expensive hotel with her parents. She had hated herself for being sick and weak then, and she hated herself even more now.

This was just nerves. This was avoidable. She had to try and keep a level head and not do anything stupid or reckless - at least not any more stupid and reckless than anything she'd done already.

What did she even intend to do once she got to Soul Society, once Sousuke's fight was over?

Rei forced herself to think. She wanted to keep Sousuke - and herself - alive. She had two Espada on her side. Surely they could step in to help if it looked like they could do anything. It was possible that Szayel would refuse to fight if she asked him to, but Grimmjow would certainly do anything she asked of him.

Her eyes were tearing up again. She rubbed them on her sleeve, irritated at herself, frightened a little at her own lack of control. She was beginning to lose it, and that was the one thing she couldn't afford to do. Grimmjow had said it. She was in charge, and the last thing a leader could do was go to pieces when the going got tough. In all the time she'd known Sousuke, she had never once seen him lose control. He had never allowed himself the luxury of panic.

But then again, everything had always gone to plan for him, except for Rei herself. And what had she done but panic herself into dealing with Kyouka Suigetsu?

She wasn't as good as Sousuke, wasn't good enough _for _him, and never would be.

No. _Calm down, _she ordered herself. 'We're just going to watch,' she said firmly, talking more to herself than the two Espada in the room. 'That's all.'

Szayel nodded, entering a final key. 'I have opened the Garganta in the throne room, Amane-dono.'

Rei acknowledged him, barely hearing anything except for the vital word _Garganta, _and left the room. Szayel and Grimmjow followed her in silence, pausing only when she stood in front of the portal itself.

Rei could feel its absence of temperature, the way it was dark without actually having substance at all apart from its own strange jelly-mass, and steeled herself. She was stronger now. She could do it, despite how she felt.

She stepped in, and felt the light grow dim as the entry behind the three of them closed. Rei remembered the first time she'd gone on an illicit outing through Las Noches with Szayel and Grimmjow to spy on Aizen, and felt the insane urge to laugh. _It's just like old times, _she thought, and then fiercely turned her attention to controlling the viscous fluctuating material of the Garganta.

It wasn't long before they reached the other side, the gateway to the human world, entering the false copy of the place she'd once lived. Rei stepped out into mid-air, remarkably not feeling odd in the slightest. She'd been so timid and unadventurous then, hiding her cold self and lack of conscience beneath the fragile paper mask of a shy sixteen-year-old girl.

No, she couldn't think about the past now. She had to focus on the present.

Rei glanced behind her, opening her mouth to give Szayel the order to open the Senkaimon, and saw him gone in a flash of Sonido. She corrected herself a few seconds later - he hadn't disappeared from her field of vision.

Szayel's distinctive white outfit and head of pink hair were visible a few metres away from her, a prone figure dressed in the same white lying at his feet.

Rei swallowed, the nausea fighting her for control again. _Oh God, _she thought, _oh shit. _

It didn't even come as a surprise to her that her sudden fear was selfish rather than borne out of a concern that Tia Harribel might die. _There but for the grace of God go I, _she thought unbidden, and almost laughed aloud. She'd never been religious, or believed in the concept of a higher power - something she'd always considered a fairytale lie for those who were gullible and fragile enough to need it to keep afloat. The closest thing she knew to a God was Sousuke, and she was only spared thus far because of her own design.

As she watched, Szayel crouched down next to Harribel, leaning so that his face was near hers. Rei saw his fingertips ghost over the wound on her stomach, the white glove coming away bloodied. Szayel took off his glasses with that bloodied hand, let them fall to the ground near her, and brushed his lips to Harribel's forehead.

The gesture should have had a funereal air to it, like flowers and clods of earth falling on the polished wooden surface of a coffin, but it didn't. Instead Rei saw a kind of quiet determination, a husband holding the limp hand of his comatose wife in a hospital room. Szayel stood, saw that Rei was watching, and averted his eyes. A normal person would have felt guilty, intrusive even, but Rei had given up any pretence at normalcy a long time ago. The scientist lifted his spare hand, the one wearing the unblemished glove, and made a flicking motion in the air. Rei caught a glimpse of something silver clenched within his fist, and shielded her eyes a moment later.

She didn't need Grimmjow's shouted exclamation to tell her that this was the Senkaimon. The white glare drowned out her efforts to see, the doors at the sides of the gate the only thing shuttering the brightness in. Gradually her eyes adjusted, and Rei turned back to look at Szayel. He met her eyes this time, and she could see that he was wordlessly asking permission to stay behind.

Rei mentally shrugged. It wasn't as if it mattered to her - one less Espada with her meant there was less chance of being discovered by the Soul Society's allies. She responded with a nod, and turned to Grimmjow. In answer, he took her hand uninvited, his blue eyes serious.

Rei's first instinct was to pull away. His hand felt wrong around hers, callused, too big, too warm. Instantly her mind compared Grimmjow's fingers to Sousuke's, his long clever chess player's digits, and what was left of her heart shrank and curled up inside her. She breathed out slowly, and made herself accept his gesture of affection.

Grimmjow had feelings for her. That much had been obvious to Rei for some time, and would have been obvious to anyone with eyes. She wondered if it had been obvious to anyone how blatantly she was using those feelings to play the Sexta Espada like the ever-obedient strings of a harp, and realized unsurprised that only Sousuke would have had the wit to notice.

Suddenly impatient, she stepped forward into the Senkaimon, and felt him join her. There was a brief rushing, a strong sense of artificial wrongness, more of that fierce white glare. Rei's stomach lurched forward. She had never been on a rollercoaster and so had nothing to compare it to, except perhaps Sonido. _It's not supposed to be like this, _she thought very briefly -

- and then she was suddenly _elsewhere. _It felt cooler than the false Karakura Town, cooler and drier and somehow not quite alive. Rei looked down, dizzy and disoriented and feeling sick again, and saw dirt and dust and rubble beneath her feet. She slipped, and felt Grimmjow pull her back. 'Watch it, Amane -' he started, and then stopped mid-sentence.

It was then that she felt _his _reiatsu, and her heart skipped and thudded and tried to bang its way out of her ribcage to join him. Rei looked up, her mouth dry like the air, and saw.

Szayel had miscalculated, was her first incongruous thought. He couldn't have possibly meant to send them so close. Had that been why she hadn't used Kyokko? She had warned Grimmjow and Szayel to cloak themselves, but like a damn fool hadn't hidden herself.

They were too _close. _

Slowly it sank in. Szayel, by far, wasn't the only one who had miscalculated. Rei felt her mouth open, her lungs struggle to draw in air, her mind reeling at just how incalculably stupid she'd managed to be, at the sheer magnitude of what she'd done.

_What have I done? _was her last coherent thought.

Then she collapsed in on herself, turning into a black hole of a person. It was quite an odd feeling, really. Her body seemed to be working. Her vocal chords were working. Her ears and eyes were still sending information to her brain. She could hear herself screaming, not a scream of terror but a continuous high gasp of air, hardly a noise at all. She could still see her Sousuke, the red light of an unknown Kidou engulfing him, hair hanging dishevelled in his eyes, the irony of it laughing at her, how she had thought just minutes ago that he had never allowed himself panic or defeat, and she had done it -

_Kyouka Suigetsu, _she thought. _My Sousuke. _

That triggered the end of everything, and she fell into blackness, no longer Rei but a shadow of herself, crushed by the terrible knowledge that Aizen Sousuke had fallen and it was all because of the deal she'd been foolish enough to make.

_My Sousuke. _

And then part of her died, and she was spared the torture of consciousness.

* * *

I hope that was realistic. I've been trying to build up Rei's emotional irrationality and loss of confidence in herself for a few chapters now, because I realised how OOC this mental breakdown would be coming out of nowhere. I was also trying to show the depth of her attachment to Aizen - which is what, I think, made this so horribly sad for me to write. God, it was upsetting enough to see in canon. It just made me so damn sad. I'm still in mourning.

Plus I still feel a little bit guilty for thinking that he looked sexy, all angry and defeated and his hair hanging all messily in his face like that…

He is tearing my heart into pieces, because it's that scene more than anything that makes me understand that nobody really _gets _him. Not Gin, not Ichigo, and not Urahara. Gin was good at _pretending_ to understand him, and be like him - I still think he's like Aizen in a lot of ways. Ichigo had some sort of insight, if a flawed one (sorry, but I find it hard to believe Aizen was just lonely his entire life. He's a very complex person - it's _got _to be more complex than that). And Urahara I think _could _have understood him, even prevented what Aizen did, if he'd really tried. Sure, it's not like Aizen made the effort to let anyone know what he really thought, or how he felt about anything, since a lot of Bleach fans are convinced he doesn't have feelings at all…but still…

I think I'm going to make a screenshot essay now, of all the moments where Aizen tears me apart into tiny pieces, with a description of why each moment is so emotionally moving for me next to every screenshot. I'll even post it on the Internet if I feel sad and nerdy enough. Like when Gin betrayed him. God damn it, that was the closest I've ever come to crying when watching an anime.

Sorry for going all mushy and emotional on everyone after my first chapter in…let's see, six fucking weeks? And sorry for the cliffhanger. As you've probably guessed, I have a slightly different spin on Aizen's 'defeat' in mind…and that nasty bitch Kyouka Suigetsu is involved. But I feel obliged to tell you not to hate her too much. She does have her reasons for being the way she is.

I swear, I like villains too much. Oh my God, I saw Megamind, and there were so many nearly-crying moments…but that's another story.

Right now, I have more pent-up writing to get out.


	78. A Beautiful Lie

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 78

A Beautiful Lie

* * *

_Mary was an acrobat_

_But still she couldn't seem to breathe_

_Mary was becoming_

_Everything she didn't want to be_

_Mary would hallucinate and see the sky upon the wall_

_Mary was the type of girl_

_She always liked to fly. _

**-Buddha for Mary, 30 Seconds To Mars**

How had the balance of power shifted so suddenly and irrevocably?

A lance of pain speared through his head. The sensation was almost alien. It had been decades since he'd felt pain.

He had been subtly pretending to lose to Kurosaki Ichigo, dimming his reiatsu, using all the tricks he'd learnt in Soul Society to make himself look weaker than he actually was. It had all been going to plan, and now -

Kyouka had him.

Aizen's body was no longer his. He could hear his own voice in a rage of disbelieving defeat, an emotion that he himself would have never even expressed in pretence. She had done that intentionally. She had evidently decided to humiliate him thoroughly in front of his failed creation and his greatest enemy, although neither of them would truly know how powerless he was.

He could hear, and see, and feel. His faculties themselves were unimpaired. All that had changed was that he was no longer the one controlling his body.

It was not out of the realm of the possible that this would have come to pass. In the past few weeks, Kyouka Suigetsu had worried at her restraints - and to an extent, succeeded - more than she had in the years since she'd first made his iron control necessary. In a sense, Aizen had taken risks with her. He had dissolved his Zanpakutou's physical katana form with the Hougyoku and taken it into him as part of his strategy. In doing that he had known it would increase her ability to directly influence his thoughts, but he had never imagined that she would gain control over him. He had never imagined she would become so - strong.

* * *

_His pen made soft, precise, controlled strokes on the paper in front of him. It was a unique skill he possessed, being able to write without watching what his hand was doing. _

_Aizen watched the Shinigami giving the Kidou theory lesson, feigning attentiveness. He had studied this subject matter - alternate applications of healing Kidou - in his own time already. He was free to let his thoughts wander, as he usually was during lessons. _

_The girl in the seat next to him blushed, her cheeks colouring delicately. She looked at him sideways and then just as quickly looked away. Aizen smiled to himself. He supposed that she, like all the other students in the school, saw only the person he pretended to be. _

_After he had reached adolescence, and was thus old enough to attend the Shinigami Academy without being any sort of notable exception, he had given his mother her death and used what meagre inheritance she had left him to enrol. It had been a humane enough gesture. Suffocation during sleep was painless - but any of his classmates would doubtless consider it an atrocity if they knew. Kyouka, on the other hand, had understood. _

'_What do you think about what I did?' he had asked her later. 'How did _you _feel about it?'_

_Kyouka Suigetsu had taken the form of the dark-skinned girl again, as she was wont to do. The girl's physical form had grown up with his, and Aizen's eyes had darted involuntarily down to the swell of her breasts through her loose-fitting shirt, the curve of her hips. She had looked up from pretending to inspect her nails and gave him a secret smile. 'Why do you care what I think?' she had returned. 'I never thought you were one for the opinions of others, Shinji-kun.'_

'_I'm curious. That's all.' Aizen had seated himself next to her. _

_Kyouka's brow had furrowed as she pretended to think. 'Let me see. You've gotten rid of someone who's spent your whole life making you feel less than you really are. You remember the day when I first showed myself to you.' It was a statement rather than a question. _

_Aizen had nodded shortly, wanting her to move on. He had no particular desire to remember that day. _

'_She made you unhappy, so I didn't like her,' Kyouka Suigetsu had continued, skimming a finger along the glassy surface of the water. 'Are you happy now that she's gone?'_

_Aizen had considered. 'I suppose.'_

'_Then I'm happy you killed her,' Kyouka Suigetsu had concluded bluntly. Her countenance had then broken into a bright, mischievous smile. 'What are you going to do to celebrate?'_

_Never in his life had he really had cause for celebration. 'I'm going to become a Shinigami,' Aizen had decided to say. 'And I'm going to change my name.'_

'_That makes sense,' she had answered. 'Your dear mother was the only one who knew about that, wasn't she?'_

_Aizen hadn't answered the question. 'I'm going to be Sousuke from now on,' he told her. _

_Kyouka Suigetsu had wrinkled her nose. 'Really?'_

'_What's wrong with Sousuke?'_

'Nothing's _wrong with Sousuke,' Kyouka Suigetsu had replied, still scowling. 'That's what's wrong with it. It's bland and boring and lots of people are called that. Don't you want to pick something different?'_

'_I thought you always told me not to draw attention to myself,' Aizen had said. _

_Kyouka had shrugged, because it was true. 'I suppose,' she had said, confirming it. 'It's your choice, after all. But that wasn't what I meant when I asked about celebrating.'_

'_What did you mean, then?' Aizen hadn't bothered trying to subtly draw it out of her. Kyouka knew him too well for that. _

'_I have something for you,' she'd told him. 'I'll give it to you later, though.'_

_Aizen had left it at that. It was almost three months after their conversation now, and it was his birthday the next day. He, in turn, knew Kyouka well enough to know that she was going to give him whatever it was some time today or tomorrow. _

_The lesson finished, and Aizen waited for everyone else to rise before he stood. He had spent a lifetime perfecting innocuous habits like these. After all, his rise to power - or so Kyouka had told him - would depend on appearing to be harmless. _

_The girl who'd glanced in his direction during class was speaking to him, looking hesitant as she waited for his reply, and Aizen turned her away. 'I'm sorry, Miyuki,' he said, smiling apologetically. 'I have to go home and study for the Kidou exam tomorrow. Otherwise I'd be happy to.'_

_He walked home, having no intention of studying - he had no need to - and not feeling any trace of guilt for lying to her. He never did. Other people, he had learnt, were not worthy of his attentions or his truth. _

_He was still living in his mother's house in Rukongai, because what she'd left him hadn't been enough to pay for anything better. Aizen intended to remedy that. _

_He shut the door behind him, sensing another reiatsu besides his own but just as familiar. _

_He entered his room and saw the dark-skinned girl, legs crossed on his threadbare futon, smiling widely. _

_Despite himself, Aizen felt the same smile beginning on his own lips. 'How did you manage to leave me?' he asked. 'Is this something all Zanpakutous can do, or just you?'_

'_All Zanpakutous can appear in physical form outside their Shinigami's inner world.' Kyouka unfolded her legs, striding with lithe catlike grace towards him. 'Usually not before the Zanpakutou's manifested itself, though. But I'll be in sword form for you soon enough. How were lessons?' The derisive snort that followed the question resonated with Aizen's own feelings on the matter, and he made a face. _

'_I know I'm supposed to pretend,' he told her. 'But it feels so - demeaning.' He sat down on the corner of the bed. _

_Kyouka nodded, not needing to reply. She remained standing, but moved closer to him. Eventually her knees were touching his, and Aizen's attention was drawn again to her full-figured body. _

'_Don't you want to know what I got you?' she asked softly. 'You must be curious, after all this time. I haven't forgotten.'_

'_I didn't think you had,' Aizen replied, changing the focus of his attention. 'I thought that your physical manifestation was -'_

_Kyouka cut him off, something she'd never done before. 'Aizen-sama,' she said in that same soft voice, and Aizen felt a stirring of heat between his legs. She positioned himself on his lap, legs either side of his waist. _

'_Have you ever done this before?' she asked, her voice low. _

_Aizen knew what she was asking, and shook his head. _

_Kyouka smiled. 'Would you like to?' She kissed him softly, gently, pulling her mouth away after a moment. _

_Aizen thought, and spoke. 'Call me Aizen-sama again,' he said in an undertone. _

_And she did. Aizen wondered more than once, as she undressed first herself and then him, how she knew exactly what to do when he himself was inexperienced. She kissed down his chest and over his stomach. She reached her hand in between his legs and stroked so that a soft moan escaped his lips without his permission. She whispered it again, 'Aizen-sama,' when she knelt down before him, kissing the inside of his thigh and then moving further up, and then again, when she positioned herself on top of him and took him inside her. _

_Afterwards, they lay on the futon together, silent and not needing to speak, because they already knew everything there was to say. _

* * *

It was obvious, of course, what had transpired. Renata had intervened, and made the bargain with Kyouka Suigetsu. It followed that Aizen had miscalculated, and he had no idea how to react to that particular conclusion. It was something that he had never had to acknowledge the possibility of before.

The lily she had given him made sense now. She too had miscalculated. She had felt guilt and regret at what she'd done, and she'd tried to warn him, while clearly knowing at the same time that she had taken the only possible course of action likely to preserve - or so she would have thought - her own life.

She had grown a heart, and she really had come to love him.

Aizen tried to discern whether she still did, and found himself unable to.

* * *

My exams are over, and I'm celebrating by writing a horribly depressing chapter. My deepest apologies to everyone who'd had an otherwise cheerful day before they read this. I hope you liked my twist, though.


	79. The Stand

Hey guys!

I've been away for a while, mainly due to RL commitments. These are mainly way too many assessment items, impending finals, and the pharmacy I work at giving me shifts whenever I actually have time off (because of course I don't need time to catch up with friends from high school, or go on dates, or read, or write, or do _anything_).

For the above reasons, updates may be somewhat intermittent in being posted. Also I have 'Like a Boss' stuck in my head and can't get it out. Because sharing is caring.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 79

The Stand

* * *

_Need to understand, no need to forgive_

_No truth, no sense left to be followed. _

…

"_Time to die, poor mates;_

_You made me what I am. _

_Your praying is in vain; it'll all be over soon. _

_There is no God!_

_Our creed is but for ourselves. _

_Not a hero unless you die,_

_Our species eat the wounded ones."_

**-The Kinslayer, Nightwish**

Maybe he really had died, when Nnoitra struck him down, and everything since had been a meaningless dead hallucination. Otherwise -

How could this really have happened?

Grimmjow stared at the cross-shaped seal occupying the space where Aizen had been. It had been an idle daydream of an alternate reality, nothing more. He hadn't really expected Aizen to meet his defeat. No, that was the understatement of the century. He had never considered it to be plausible in any scenario. It had been a vain hope, nothing more.

And yet it had happened.

Grimmjow forced his eyes away from the cross to Amane. She had entered the Senkaimon ahead of him. He could only see the back of her head, her body rigid, her shoulders outlined tautly by the white uniform she wore.

Her reiatsu felt tense and jagged against his own, like the serrated edge of a saw.

He stepped forward, placed a hand cautiously on her shoulder. 'Amane -' he began.

She didn't move. Grimmjow grabbed her arm roughly, forcing her to turn. Her breathing was shallow and fast, her lips as pallid as her outfit. Her eyes were half-shut, and Grimmjow could only see the whites below the lids.

Without warning, she folded at the knees, crumpling, and Grimmjow barely caught her. 'Fuck, Amane!' he yelled. 'Wake up!' He could hear fear sharply grating his voice.

'It appears she's gone into shock.'

Grimmjow started at the unfamiliar voice and reiatsu. A blond-haired man wearing loose, dark green clothing - definitely not a Shinigami uniform - appeared in his peripheral vision.

His mind raced. Should he try and get Amane the hell away from this man? No, he could feel the guy's reiatsu. Despite his outfit, he was clearly a Shinigami, and a strong one at that - captain-level at least. Even if he used Sonido to get away, this man would be able to keep up with him easily -

- and they were in Soul Society territory now. Grimmjow didn't have the faintest idea of how to open a Senkaimon, and the one Szayel had made was closed already.

_Szayel. _Had he abandoned them here on purpose? No, he couldn't have. What would the Octava stand to gain from doing such a thing? It wasn't as if he could return to Hueco Mundo and take the throne for himself. Even if Aporro had had some prior knowledge of Aizen's defeat and usurping had been his plan all along, he wouldn't be wearing the crown for long. There had been only two strong enough to impose order on Hueco Mundo and its inhabitants, and those two were Aizen and King Barragan.

His attention was drawn back to the present. Grimmjow eyed the blond man, who was regarding him silently out of dark grey eyes. 'What's your deal?' he asked warily.

The Shinigami seemed to understand the question. 'I'm not one of the Gotei 13,' he answered.

_And yet you managed to take Aizen down, _Grimmjow thought to himself. No, that was clearly wrong. He could see Kurosaki's unmistakeable shock of orange hair not too far away. The human was bare-chested and hunched over, as if exhausted. A crawling sense of wrongness overtook him, and Grimmjow realized with a shock that he couldn't feel the kid's reiatsu. What the hell had gone on here?

'My name is Urahara Kisuke. I know who you are, Grimmjow Jaggerjack, and I can assure you that I have no desire to fight you.' The strangely dressed Shinigami spoke quietly. 'Neither does Kurosaki-san. I can see by this woman's presence that you aren't here to fight either.'

Grimmjow nodded stiffly. He hadn't missed the unspoken question, and decided to go with the truth, or at least part of it. 'She wanted to know what was going on,' he said, knowing full well how weak an explanation it was.

'As you can see, your master has been defeated.'

That sentence, and the assumption it contained, made anger flare up in Grimmjow. 'He's not my fuckin' master,' he snapped.

Urahara didn't respond to that, other than inclining his head very slightly. 'What is this woman's name?' he asked.

Grimmjow could see all too clearly what was going to happen here. For all this man had claimed not to be with the Gotei 13, he clearly shared some sort of affiliation with them - at least if Kurosaki's presence here was anything to go by. Answering Urahara's questions would indicate compliance, an agreement of some kind. The old Grimmjow wouldn't have trusted this new situation. Once upon a time, he would have backed off as far away as he could from this man - the entity he'd been would have had no wish to trade one master for another.

But he had changed significantly just then.

Grimmjow looked down at Amane, and made his decision, but not without a compromise. 'Namikawa Fumiko,' he said, remembering the human alias Szayel had told him about just in time.

Urahara raised one eyebrow slightly, as if sensing the lie. Thankfully, he seemed to let it slide. 'I can see that you care about her to some degree,' he said. 'From what Kurosaki-san has told me, Grimmjow-san, you are not unintelligent. I can arrange medical treatment for her if you wish. However -'

'I get it.' Grimmjow raised a hand, cutting the Shinigami off. 'I have to give her over to you. And surrender.'

The blond man waved his hands in the negative, looking almost apologetic. 'Not to me,' he said. 'The Gotei 13.'

Grimmjow paused at that. He really would be changing one master for another if he went through with this. And what exactly did that mean, _going through _with it?

He knew what it meant, all right. He hadn't allowed himself to actually picture what would happen if Aizen _was _defeated - but this had to be his only realistic option. The alternative would be to take Amane and try to run, to get back to the human world or Hueco Mundo if possible, while hoping that the Soul Society would decide they weren't worth pursuing. Grimmjow knew how much chance he had of pulling that off. The other course of action would be to try and fight anyone who came after him - but Grimmjow was under no illusions as to how that would end. These people had managed to take down _Aizen_, and this Urahara had clearly had a direct hand in it.

'All right,' he said abruptly. 'I'll do it.'

Urahara looked surprised at that, startled even. Grimmjow realized the man hadn't been expecting a yes. 'Are you sure you don't need time to -'

'Do you _want _me to fuckin' fight you?' Grimmjow spat back. 'Stop wasting my time. Are you offering me the option to surrender and live, Shinigami?'

'I suppose I am, if you're really willing to accept it.' Urahara turned away. 'You can come out now,' he said, apparently to thin air.

A dozen figures in white materialised. Grimmjow recognized Amane's spell, the one she'd used the night they'd gone to spy on Aizen. He could feel the signature of it in the air, slightly different because none of the reiatsus supporting it were hers.

'These are the highest-ranking members of the Kidou Corps,' Urahara said, his back still turned to Grimmjow. 'You and Miss Namikawa will need to come with them.'

The thought of submitting in this way irked him, despite knowing how inevitable it was. Even so, Grimmjow held still while one of the figures in the hooded white robes stepped forward, none-too-gently placing a red collar around his neck. It fastened shut with a click.

Two more stepped forward to take Amane's limp form from him, and Grimmjow had to force himself not to resist. He knew what the Gotei 13 did to its criminals. He had no knowledge of how their laws worked, but maybe he could earn himself some measure of mercy by complying without difficulty.

'Are there any others who came with you?' Urahara asked.

Grimmjow cleared his throat, feeling the collar bob on his neck. He noticed there were several leads attached to it. 'Two Espada,' he said hoarsely. 'Their names are Tia Harribel and Szayel Aporro Granz. In - the real world.' True, Tia had been in the human world to begin with and wasn't likely to be alive much longer anyway, but Grimmjow didn't want any of these Shinigami saying later that he'd tried to lie to them.

It was back to questions of who could be trusted, once again.

Four of the Kidou Corps Shinigami grouped tightly around Grimmjow, taking the leads. The two carrying Amane rearranged themselves so that they were holding her like stretcher bearers - one supporting her head and shoulders, the other holding her legs. Her face looked white and dead. Her eyes were shut now, the lids an unhealthy purplish-grey.

The remaining six peeled off, and Grimmjow saw them heading towards the cross - Aizen's seal.

_Trust, _he thought. The sense of wrongness was still with him, and Grimmjow let himself think further. Why had these Kidou Corps people been stationed here, hidden? _No_, he corrected. That couldn't be right. As much as he despised the bastard, he couldn't deny that Aizen would have noticed twelve high-ranking Shinigami positioned almost right under his nose.

That meant they would have gotten here only recently. The realization led Grimmjow to an unnerving conclusion.

Had Urahara Kisuke somehow known they were coming? Had he already gotten to Szayel?

Was he another Aizen Sousuke?

Unconsciously, Grimmjow shook his head, trying to clear it of thoughts and paranoia. There was no way Urahara could have known about what had been a spur-of-the-moment decision on Amane's part - especially since no one in Soul Society, or any of their allies, had even known Amane existed until today. He was seeing machinations that weren't there.

Once he had dismissed that suspicion, Grimmjow was forced to wonder at the possibilities of what would happen to the three of them who had survived Aizen - four, if Tia lived. They would be judged by the Gotei 13, that was certain. But what would fate hold in store for them after that? Imprisonment? Death?

Perhaps.

Grimmjow looked down at Amane again, and felt his insides twist. Surely there would be no penalty for her. She was innocent in this.

He just had to trust - that word, again - that he had made the right decision.

* * *

Bleach should really be retitled 'Aizen vs. Urahara.' According to (which you should _all _get addicted to, if you aren't already), Aizen can be classified as the 'Magnificent Bastard' and/or 'Chessmaster' archetype, and Urahara is a Chessmaster character too. Really Bleach is just the two of them playing a giant (and at times ridiculous) chess game.

I haven't decided what I'm going to do with Urahara's character yet, but it should be interesting in the scheme of things.


	80. Prodigal

Hey everyone, I'm back! I finally have a proper midsemester break, after finishing finals at university, and I'm trying to get back into the swing of writing.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 80

Prodigal

* * *

_How could I have burned paradise?_

_How could I?_

_You were never mine. _

**-Call Me When You're Sober, Evanescence**

She wasn't supposed to be here.

Hinamori Momo pressed herself harder against the wall, feeling the smooth cool wooden surface against her cheek. She was lieutenant of the Fifth Division, and lieutenants weren't supposed to listen in on the captains' meetings. They were supposed to know better.

Another part of her mind acknowledged, completely logically, that there would have been no possible way for her to stay away. After all, the meeting concerned _him. _

It had been all over Soul Society when Captain Aizen had been captured. Momo had, at first, felt only crushing despair and an overwhelming sense of guilt. Shiro and Rangiku had known about the despair, of course. That had been too difficult to hide, and in any case everyone had seemed to expect it of her.

The guilt she had always, always kept secret, because none of them would have ever been able to understand.

She had been very bad at first, after he had left Soul Society and nearly killed her. Unable to sleep, eat, even sit alone and think, she had spent most of her days and nights under the close watch of the Fourth Division, the medical squad. They had feared she might try to take her own life - the despair had been no secret - and Momo wasn't sure how justified their fears had been. They had kept her permanently half-asleep, in a drugged haze that had blurred the edges of reality and made everything indistinct enough to bear.

They hadn't noticed that Momo had been constantly questioning herself whenever she'd had the slightest bit of mental clarity. For a long time, as her carers weaned her off the drugs, she had only been able to replay all of it, all the time she had been in the Fifth Division, all the time she had spent admiring Captain Aizen, all the time she had spent trying _only _to admire Captain Aizen and feel nothing more, and the time after she had finally given in to herself and admitted she was a little in love with him.

She had only ever been able to wonder how she hadn't seen his defection coming, and that was why she could never let any of the others know that she had - and still - felt that way. Her friends would try to comfort her, they would try to say that none of them had ever seen it coming - but she, Momo, was the one who should have seen it, most of all.

She stood on the tips of her toes underneath the window. She was just tall enough that way to be able to glimpse the captains from the torso up, short enough so that the top of her head was below their eye level. They'd started already. She could tell by the murmur of voices.

'I was under the impression the Central 46 was an independent body, Soutaicho.' That was Captain Unohana's voice. Momo craned her neck, trying to see. Of course, Captain Unohana hadn't stepped out of line to talk. Her voice was polite, soft and respectful as always, but containing the barest hint of disapproval nonetheless.

'Technically, it is. But we have always had the power to influence where necessary, in cases that deem our attention. You should know that, Captain,' Yamamoto replied, sounding irritated.

'And _this _case is certainly one of those.' Captain Komamura was speaking, voice gruff and low. 'Aizen Sousuke will be punished by the Central 46, that much is certain. But the nature of the punishment has to be considered by us as well.'

Momo's heart beat faster at his name. What was going on? She hadn't known the captains could influence the decisions made by the Central 46.

'The usual punishment for treason to his extent would be death,' Komamura finished.

'We all know that can't happen.' Captain Sui-Feng was speaking, and she, like the Soutaicho, sounded annoyed. 'As much as we'd all like to get him out of the way for good -'

'Aizen Sousuke is morally unprincipled, clearly unhinged, and very charismatic. His charisma is what makes him too dangerous to leave alive.' Momo recognised Kuchiki Byakuya's voice, cool and emotionless. 'It is unfortunate, then, that leaving him alive is precisely what we must do. The man cannot be killed, and Urahara Kisuke states that there is no way to remove the Hougyoku.'

'Perhaps you should give him to me as a test subject.' Captain Kurotsuchi Mayuri sounded almost gleeful, and Momo repressed a shudder. She couldn't bear the thought of the frightening Captain of the Twelfth Division laying so much as one of his long, spidery fingers on Captain Aizen. 'I could do so very much with a professed immortal. It would, for instance, be possible to perform repeat vivisections -'

'That is quite enough,' Unohana interrupted, serene as always. 'I take it you have no knowledge of how to remove the Hougyoku from Captain Aizen, Captain Kurotsuchi?'

A sullen sigh. 'None. I was not the Hougyoku's creator.'

'Then we are back to our original problem.' Yamamoto was speaking again. 'We cannot have Aizen executed, and we cannot imprison him _ad infinitum._'

'Really?' Captain Kyouraku sounded almost childishly surprised.

'There is a clause,' Captain Kuchiki said. 'It is included within the legal code from which the Central 46 rules. Which they cannot deviate from. It states that the end date of an imprisonment sentence must always be supplied to the criminal -'

'Left to their own devices, what would the Central 46 themselves be likely to suggest?' The mild-mannered voice belonged to Captain Ukitake. 'I am curious, Soutaicho.'

'The Central 46 will most likely rule in favour of a sentence extended far beyond that of a normal Shinigami's lifespan,' Yamamoto said tersely. 'Due to the clause Captain Kuchiki has just mentioned, they will not be able to use the phrase _life sentence _since Aizen Sousuke's life will continue indefinitely.'

There was a growl. It took Momo a while to realise that the sound had come from Shiro. Her friend had remained otherwise silent throughout the meeting, and she felt a sudden urge to comfort him.

'Kuchiki,' said a deep voice, 'said he was unhinged a few minutes ago.' Kenpachi was speaking. Momo was surprised - she hadn't expected him to voice an opinion. 'I'm guessing he's going down to Avici. There's a good chance he'll lose his wits down there and take care of the problem himself.'

There was silence at that.

'Chance isn't good _enough _when it comes to Aizen,' Shiro said coldly.

'Be that as it may, it may have to do until we have a better solution.' Yamamoto changed the topic. 'We also have to discuss the girl and the three Espada who surrendered.'

There was another roar of noise, and Momo sensed relief. She was also confused. No one she'd spoken to had said anything about any living Espada, or a girl for that matter.

'Captain Unohana,' Yamamoto continued. 'What do you have to say?'

'In my assessment,' Unohana said quietly, 'Szayel Aporro Granz and Grimmjow Jaggerjack both appear to be of sound mind and will almost certainly be called to trial by the Central 46 to account for their actions. Tia Harribel is healing, and may also be called to trial. It is almost certain, however, that I will declare Namikawa Fumiko incompetent for trial if the Central 46 indicates a wish to interview her.'

There was an uproar at that. 'Silence!' Yamamoto bellowed, and there was a bang of wood upon wood. Everyone instantly quietened.

'Those Espada will just say that they were coerced by Aizen into doing what they've done against our side.' Shiro appeared to be struggling to keep his temper.

'I doubt the Central 46 will buy that,' Sui-Feng criticised, 'but I also object with your assessment, Captain Unohana. Why exclude this woman from trial? By Urahara Kisuke's account -' the name was followed by an audible sneer - 'she fell into shock upon seeing the traitor defeated. You must admit that this is grounds that she has some sort of attachment to him.'

'By _all_ accounts, this girl is also catatonic,' Captain Ukitake interrupted gently. 'The law is Captain Kuchiki's area of expertise rather than mine, but as far as I know it's against the Central 46's code to have someone stand for trial who's incapable of speaking in their own defence.'

'Thank you, Captain Ukitake,' Unohana acknowledged. 'You are correct. But you are also correct, Captain Sui-Feng. Namikawa Fumiko was connected to Aizen Sousuke intimately, although I doubt it was by her own will.' She paused. 'I had my lieutenant perform a routine medical check. After documenting the presence of heavy bruising on the girl's body, Isane informed me that Namikawa Fumiko is pregnant.'

The room was silent again. Momo realized she was chewing her knuckle, and the salty metallic taste of blood was in her mouth. She could feel the old disbelief again. Surely Captain Aizen wouldn't -

'He is the father.' Rather than sounding pleased with herself, Sui-Feng sounded horrified. Momo knew what terrible picture Unohana had managed to paint in their heads, and could see it in her own too.

'The bastard.' That was Shiro. No one objected to his language.

'Dear God.' Even Captain Kuchiki sounded shocked.

Captain Aizen _had_. Momo still felt disbelief, but of a different kind. Why would he have needed to force this girl, this Namikawa Fumiko whom she knew nothing about, into his bed?

_I would have gone with you willingly, _she thought, almost unconsciously, and blushed. She would have done anything for her captain. At first she had thought it was just loyalty, admiration - but she had soon grown to realize it was something more that she felt. Momo had slowly come to the knowledge that she had learnt to feel desire for Captain Aizen. She had been ashamed of it for a time and had tried to remove - or at least repress - that part of her. Gradually, she had realized that was impossible, and had taken it in her stride. She had kept her tentative daydreams, and her inner smiles whenever he drew near her or brushed her arm, to herself.

Captain Aizen had been beautiful - was still beautiful. What kind of a girl was this Namikawa, that she hadn't seen that?

Sometimes Momo wondered if she herself, deep down, were as amoral - she couldn't think _evil,_ even now - as Captain Aizen was, for allowing herself to think things like that. She should be feeling sympathy for this girl, horror at her predicament. If Captain Unohana was to be believed, then Namikawa Fumiko had been raped - _raped - _by Captain Aizen.

And yet she couldn't feel anything but sullen jealousy. That made her feel even more guilty.

'I have heard of this being common in the human world.' Ukitake was speaking. 'Victims of kidnapping - and, er, abuse - developing irrational attachments to their tormentors -'

'They call it Stockholm Syndrome,' Unohana interrupted. 'Although I doubt it is as simple as that where Aizen Sousuke is concerned. I take it,' she continued, 'that I will no longer meet with objections if I declare her mentally incompetent?'

The room was silent.

'We shall assume not,' Yamamoto said shortly. 'I have nothing further to discuss, in that case. All of you are dismissed.'

All Momo heard was the sound of shuffling footsteps leaving the room, and a painfully loud silence. For a moment she fancied their steps sounded slower than usual - perhaps the fact that they were sentencing Captain Aizen, formerly one of their own, weighed heavily upon them. Then she had to dismiss that idea, attractively rose-tinted as it was. At the very least, Shiro and Captain Sui-Feng hated her former captain - that made two of the Gotei 13 that would be glad to see him locked away forever. And they couldn't possibly be the only ones.

A warm, heavy hand settled on her shoulder, and Momo nearly jumped out of her skin. She squealed, and heard Captain Kyouraku's voice, deep and reassuring as he turned her around to face him. 'It's just me, Momo-chan.'

Momo blushed. 'I-I'm very sorry, Kyouraku-taicho,' she stammered, bowing her head so he wouldn't see the flame in her cheeks. 'I shouldn't be out here -'

Kyouraku winked. 'Don't worry. I won't tell Yama-jii I found you.' His expression grew more serious. 'Besides, you have as much a right as any of us to know what's being decided, ne?'

Momo's throat closed up at that, and her eyes felt warm and full. She told herself to stop being such a child, and tightened her lips, blinking furiously. 'I shouldn't be concerning myself with -' Her heart skipped a beat; she had almost said _him. _'-the captains' affairs.'

Kyouraku opened his mouth, looking as if he wanted to say something, and paused for a long while before he spoke again. 'I think,' he said heavily, 'you were the one hurt most of all. Am I right?'

Momo couldn't respond to that. 'I -' she started.

'Shiro-chan would agree with me,' he said. He smiled at that, a gentle sad smile. 'We all wish we could have prevented what happened to you, Momo-chan. I am sorry your first love should have ended so badly.'

He walked away from her at that, and Momo at last let the tears spill, because now she knew it had been clear as day to them all along, and the only one she had been trying to save from shame and heartbreak was herself.

* * *

Kyouraku would be sympathetic about someone caught eavesdropping on the captains' meeting, wouldn't he? We all know what Lisa-chan was like.

Yes, it's never stated explicitly. And yes, their relationship _could _in theory be interpreted as non-romantic. But I remain convinced that Aizen was Momo's first love, and it was blatantly obvious to everyone - especially Toshiro, which would explain why he hates Aizen so much. We all remember the first person we ever crushed on. Especially if it was a 'forbidden' love- like a crush on a teacher or someone in authority, like it was for poor Momo.

I'm sorry to everyone who's waited so long for a chapter update thanks to me actually concentrating on my uni classes for once. Hopefully none of you have given up on me, and my thanks go out to all of you who are still reading.


	81. She

And now this chapter - is about Aizen again.

I'm sure you've all noticed, but no one likes Aizen. I mean, for who he really is. Momo loves the Aizen-taicho that she thinks he is 'deep down inside'. You can tell that Orihime feels sorry for him, but can't like him in spite of that. Gin pretended to like him for an entire century. Loly doesn't actually like Aizen, she just wants the privilege and position of being at his side. And most of the Espada are indifferent to him.

I mean, this is a man who has never, as far as we know in canon, had someone who genuinely likes him for the person he is rather than the one he pretends to be. I think a lot of people who really despise Aizen tend to forget this, or never look close enough to realize it. Aizen has never had any real friends, or been in love with anyone, or had anyone really be in love with him for who he is.

Is it any wonder he's so messed up? This is what really appeals to me about him. He can never be honest with anyone, or open up, or have real feelings.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 81

She

* * *

_Even though you don't know what the price is_

_It's justified. _

_So much more that you've got now to fight for_

_But it still doesn't change who you are;_

_There is no fear you'll ever give in to_

_You're untouchable. _

…

_You're losing your mind_

_And you're sleeping with wide open eyes. _

**-Where Is The Edge, Within Temptation**

It was a situation he would have found cruelly amusing, had it been happening to anyone but him.

Of course, everything was going according to plan. He had been captured by Soul Society, and they now believed him under their control. The very fact that he was sitting here, in this chair, with Urahara Kisuke's reiatsu seals binding every inch of his body, was proof of that.

As far as everyone in this room was concerned, Aizen Sousuke had lost his powers. He was as failed to them as Kurosaki Ichigo was to him, and that was it should be.

Everything was as it should be, except for the fact that he was incapable of speaking at his own mock trial. Aizen couldn't direct his own gaze - he could only see what his eyes saw as she looked around the room, heard her contemptuous chuckle in the back of his head.

_I fail to see what this can possibly achieve, _he thought in her direction. She made no comment in return, and Aizen was pleased with that small victory at least. He knew whatever hold Renata had given Kyouka over him could not last. He had always been stronger than her. He was the Shinigami, and she his Zanpakutou. She could not hold him prisoner in his own body for long.

It had been so long since Aizen had needed to reassure himself of anything that he was unaware, at first, that he was doing it. When he realized, it only galvanized his irritation - no, _anger - _towards Kyouka and her insolence. That childish emotional reaction quickly faded away. Kyouka had been this way ever since he had spurned her physical - and rather crude, to his mind - attempts to manipulate him so long ago.

'Aizen Sousuke,' a voice above him spoke. It was one of the shielded faces of the Central 46. Aizen still remembered disposing of the old council. Doubtless this new bunch had been hastily appointed upon his capture, fresh from the legal class of the Shinigami Academy and still wet behind the ears. 'We as the judicial body begin this trial by reading aloud the charges laid against you. You are accused of high treason against the Soul Society, over fifty counts of various degrees of murder, undertaking forbidden Hollowfication experiments, the attempted murder of a number of individuals -' The official coughed. 'The list of which included your own lieutenant, Hinamori Momo.' He paused. 'And last but by no means least heinous, you are accused of having carnal knowledge of the human Namikawa Fumiko against her will, as well as physically abusing and kidnapping her.'

Kyouka's laughter grew louder in his head, ringing like the shrieks of a lunatic. Aizen could not shut her out. _So she has betrayed me, _he thought, testing the concept for truth. It rang false.

Could she have really lied to him, all that time? Had she only pretended to love him?

_Yes, _Kyouka Suigetsu sneered. _Have you no eyes? Everyone always pretends to love you, Sousuke-kun. The only ones who claim to love you are the ones who love the mask you wear rather than the face beneath it. _

It was an old jibe, a twist of a knife into a superficially healed old wound. But despite the sting, Aizen knew something Kyouka could never explain away.

Renata had given him the lily. He knew its true significance now. She had been giving him a silent apology for sealing the deal with Kyouka.

_She did it once, Sousuke-kun, _Kyouka told him. _Why wouldn't she do it again? _

It was true. Aizen himself had acknowledged that she was as sharp-witted and self-serving as he was. And if he were in her position, captured and in enemy territory -

He would distance himself from the implication of friend, ally, cohort, confidante, lover.

She had given them a false name. She was getting out, and she would not be coming back for him.

_Just like the first time, Sousuke-kun. _Kyouka's voice was almost comforting now, perversely so. _Just like her. _

'These crimes have been examined and there is no possibility that you did not commit them, in all their atrocity. Aizen Sousuke,' the official continued, 'have you anything to say in your defence?'

Kyouka laughed aloud. 'Not to you,' she said aloud with his voice.

* * *

_He had never questioned it, not once. _

_After that first night, Kyouka had spent every night in his bed. It had never once felt wrong, or incestuous, despite the fact that he had grown up with her. She had been a sister to him in all but name, they had been as intimate with each other as two people could possibly be without venturing near physical avenues. The physical - the act of sex - was only an extension of that intimacy, and Aizen had been both curious and hungry after the first night. He had wanted more, of course, but he had wanted to experiment as well, as he did with everything - he had wanted to discover what pleased him most, what they both liked, how he could make her submit to him. _

_It hadn't taken long for him to become adept at giving her whatever her body most desired, while still keeping a little back. Aizen had always enjoyed seeing other people do what he wanted them to do, but now he had a new means of manipulation, one that lent a subversive erotic undertone to any form of submission he witnessed from her. _

_He had never thought Kyouka might want something from him in return. That idea had never crossed his mind. He had thought it was enough for her to be closer to him. Indeed, she had seemed different afterwards. She was always with him, always making wry comments in the forefront of his mind during yet another dreary lesson, always filling him with that same warm closeness he had had all his childhood. He was never without her, and she was never without him. _

_He had been sitting in class one day, pretending to pay attention as usual, when he had seen Kyouka out of the corner of his eye - or thought he had. He glimpsed long dark hair bound in a ponytail, flawless chocolate skin, and then she was gone. _

_He had waited impatiently until the end of the class, and was the first out the door when the Shinigami teaching dismissed them. _

_He realised straight away that the girl hadn't been Kyouka, and resembled her in appearance only - the long hair and dark skin was the same, and so was her seductive easy laughter, the curves of her body. She was talking to one of her classmates and rolled her eyes at something he'd said. _

_This girl walked with a catlike grace that was more athletic and less sensual than Kyouka's saunter. Aizen recognised the group of students she was with - they were sixth-formers, older than him. She was with this year's graduating class. _

_He knew she had to be the girl from the garden. She looked his way, and he thought, with more interest than his usual dry curiosity, that she might recognise him too - but she did not. Her eyes passed over him without interest, and she turned back to her friends. _

_Kyouka was silent in his head as Aizen watched the woman whose face she wore, and he knew then that she disapproved. The sensation was alien. Kyouka had never disapproved of him or of anything he had done before. _

'_Why did you watch her, Shinji-kun?' she had asked him later, cross-legged on his futon. _

_Aizen hadn't pretended not to know what she was talking about. This was Kyouka. It would be like trying to lie to himself. 'Does it surprise you that I'm curious?' he asked in return. 'I just wanted to know what became of her. I haven't seen her since - you know.'_

_Kyouka nodded. She knew what he was talking about. Of course she did. That had been their first day together, and his worst. She didn't need to elaborate on what had happened in the garden. _

'_You know now,' she said. 'You don't need to go any further. Do you want to open it all up again?'_

_Aizen raised an eyebrow. 'Are you telling me to leave well enough alone?' It was a joke of theirs. She had always told him to do anything but. _

_Kyouka laughed. 'Never,' she said mockingly. 'I would never presume to tell you your business, Aizen-sama.' She began to undress, slowly, sensually. 'As always,' she purred, 'I live only to serve you, my lord.'_

_It was slower that time. He was on top of her, moving inside her, and for a brief moment it all slipped away. It all unravelled away from her, her brittle charm and sexy, barbed laughter, her words as sweet as poison wrapped in a hidden joke. It was as though all along she had been wearing a mutable shifting mask of skin, and she had only now forgotten to wear it. _

_She cried out in pleasure as they both came, and Aizen saw illogically the laughing bright-voiced little girl playing by a rosebush. _

_It didn't last long afterwards. As she curled around him, the skin mask fell back into place and she whispered softly into his ear, running her hands through his dishevelled hair. 'I'm only doing it for you,' she whispered. 'I saw how it hurt you the first time. Don't go there again, for your own sake.'_

_That ruined the moment, for Aizen always maintained that nothing could ever hurt him, had ever hurt him - and she knew that better than anyone. _

_He closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep. _

* * *

'We shall conclude this trial. Aizen Sousuke, you are hereby sentenced to eighteen thousand eight hundred years imprisonment sentence, to be served within the highest-security level of Avici Prison, as befits your crimes,' another faceless official ruled.

Once again Aizen could not speak, or prevent his Zanpakutou from speaking with his mouth. 'I find it amusing, to say the least,' he heard his own voice say, 'that you seem to think you can pass judgement on one such as me.'

One of the men lost his temper. 'Your insolence does not become you, traitor! Were it not for your immortality, you would be now serving a death sentence, by a far less humane means than the Soukyoku - and do not forget that your life is still in the hands of the Central 46.'

'Shall we remind him?' another interrupted. 'Clearly he has forgotten that we are the ones choosing his sentence - which shall be extended to twenty thousand years, if there are no objections.'

'Believe me, Councillor, there are none,' the first official snarled. 'Especially when we have taken into consideration what has befallen that girl.'

Aizen caught the implication there, and realized they knew. Renata had discovered her pregnancy, and used it to help her cause of distancing herself from his predicament. That, along with the bruises he knew he had left on her body, was her ticket out. It would have been easy for her to claim that he had raped her even without those powerful pieces of evidence. He was reviled in the eyes of the Soul Society, and if a seemingly helpless human girl told those in power that he had kidnapped and sexually abused her, there could be no question about whose word they would take.

'I suppose she is carrying my child,' Kyouka said casually.

Aizen knew then what she was going to do, and exercised all his strength to try to prevent her from saying it.

'You knew of this?'

'Of course,' Kyouka replied. 'She tried to play on my sympathies, if you can believe that. Foolish girl.' She laughed. 'It was only a matter of time before I got rid of what she believed was her bargaining power. Not that I ever would have cared for her worthless spawn.'

The room went into an uproar. Aizen knew that to these people, he appeared callous, inhuman, unfeeling - more so than before. What Kyouka had just suggested from his mouth was unthinkable. In the Soul Society, abortion was not unheard of - there were doctors that would perform the operation, provided the woman had a valid reason for terminating the pregnancy - but it was controversial. Unohana Retsu had publicly stated that her personal beliefs did not allow her to undertake the procedure, and Aizen knew those beliefs were shared by nearly everyone in Fourth Company. Certainly, none of them would ever condone terminating a pregnancy without the woman's consent.

'Silence his vile mouth. I have had enough of this.'

Someone blindfolded him, and Aizen was left in darkness. The blindfold was followed by a gag. At least Kyouka could no longer speak, at least not aloud.

_Why so upset, Sousuke-kun? _she asked, feigning innocence. _I only told them the truth. You would have killed it eventually. _

Aizen did not respond.

_Not necessarily while she was still carrying it, _Kyouka continued, almost conversationally. _Perhaps a year after the birth, perhaps twenty years. You do not need a child. And you have never kept things you do not need. _

Perhaps she was correct. It was true that Aizen could not picture himself as a father, or Renata as a mother. Renata was as selfish as he was, as she had so conclusively demonstrated. Neither of them had the selflessness required to start a family.

'Poor mad Namikawa Fumiko and her child will be protected from you, Aizen Sousuke,' the man's voice continued. 'You will never lay eyes on either of them again.'

Aizen registered the second word, and realized she had not betrayed him after all. If they thought Renata was insane, she could not have possibly given them a legible account of what had supposedly happened to her in Las Noches. She was either pretending to be witless for her own gain - to save herself from his fate - or she was not pretending at all. Surely she would know that any pretence at being insane to have herself declared unfit for judgement as a criminal would have to last months, perhaps years. It was unlikely to be a pretence then - no one would knowingly commit themselves to years of pretend raving in a mental asylum.

So Renata really had gone mad, and there was even less hope for him now. At least when Aizen had assumed she was keeping away from him and playing the victim there was a chance that she would come back for him when it suited her. But one did not recover from madness.

As well as all that, he was disappointed in her. Aizen himself was hardly likely to descend into lunacy, and he had expected the same strength of will in Renata. The feeling only added to his confusion - yet another uncharacteristic mindset for him.

Renata would never be coming down to Avici to retrieve him and share his powers, and she had failed in his expectations of her. And yet -

She had not betrayed him, and that fact overrode the previous two. She had not betrayed him, and Kyouka had been wrong.

That made his Zanpakutou angry. _I'm not speaking from arrogance, Sousuke-kun, _she snarled. _You are. _

Aizen laughed inside his head. _Kyouka, _he said to her, almost tenderly. _You have never spoken from anything but arrogance. You are my Zanpakutou, after all. _

They carried him down, still bound to the chair, and Aizen wondered if twenty thousand years in solitude with only Kyouka would drive him too to wherever Renata had gone.

He concluded that it was more than likely.

* * *

After I saw Aizen baiting the Central 46 at his 'trial' in the anime, it didn't really ring true - he's not that stupid. Therefore, it was Kyouka Suigetsu. Who he gets to spend several millennia with, all alone. How exciting for him.

And now I have introduced Yoruichi, and over the next few chapters everyone will get to see what exactly happened in the garden with Aizen's mother and what ended up happening with Yoruichi at the Shinigami Academy to drive apart Aizen and Kyouka Suigetsu. Oh, poor Aizen. When she took your virginity of _course _she wanted something in return. It'll be a while before I reveal what that was.


	82. Finished Sentences

Now that my house has WiFi like a boss, I'll be able to update far more often. Like right now. Enjoy the chapter. It started off slow for me, but I've actually missed writing Szayel's (very much changed) perspective and managed to get into it.

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 82

Finished Sentences

* * *

_The blade will keep on descending_

_All you need is to feel my love. _

_Search for beauty, find your shore_

_Try to save them all_

_Bleed no more. _

…

_In the end I will always love you. _

**-The Poet and the Pendulum, Nightwish**

Szayel hadn't expected that the three of them would be placed in the same cell, but even so the solitude was difficult to bear. That was strange to acknowledge - once he had spurned the company of anyone but himself, a loner by nature. That had been when he had helped Nnoitra Jiruga finish Neliel Tu Oderschvank. He was changed now, and he wondered whether there was any possibility that these Shinigami, who had already judged him in their preconceptions, would be able to see that.

His trial was in an hour - they had told him through the door this morning, and in the peculiarity of passing time, this hour seemed to take longer than all the rest put together. He wondered if Aizen had already been judged. Aizen would certainly be given some terrible sentence. But would the Central 46, Soul Society's judicial body, show any mercy on Aizen's followers - the only living - who had surrendered?

Harribel had been led into the cell next to him when they had first been brought here, and Szayel had heard her door click open some time ago. _Surely_, he thought, _surely they will have some measure of mercy for her_. He had thought it to himself countless times. Now it sounded like a vain silly hope, worn thin.

His own door rattled, and Szayel rose to his feet, feeling the restriction of the cuffs they had placed around his wrists to absorb his reiatsu.

The white-garbed figures who stood in the doorway didn't stand on ceremony. They moved into the cell, took Szayel by the shoulders, and handled him roughly all the way along the corridor.

Szayel wouldn't have bothered looking up if not for the figure in white he glimpsed out of his periphery at the last second. He hadn't felt her reiatsu, presumably due to the cuffs he was forced to wear.

He started to say Harribel's name aloud, but saw her tighten her lips. Her eyes flicked towards the guards who held her, and Szayel understood. They passed each other, and she deftly pressed something into his hand. It felt small and light and insubstantial, a scrap of paper that might well hold the secrets of the universe.

Szayel was led further along, into a small room where he was pushed into a narrow wooden chair - not roughly, but firmly. His fingers tightened around the note Harribel had passed him, and he thought - not in frustration, but rather a sort of mild despair - that he would never get the chance to read it, at least not in this room.

The white-garbed guards settled themselves behind him. Szayel breathed out in annoyance. Of course, it was too much to expect that they would leave him in peace. As far as the Shinigami were concerned, he was a dangerous criminal. For the first time, he looked around the room. It didn't look like somewhere the Seireitei authorities would choose to move someone like him. The floorboards underneath were worn but clean, the walls whitewashed. There was only one window but it was larger than that in his cell - almost a square metre across. Sunlight entered the room through it.

The room was sparingly furnished. The only objects in sight were Szayel's chair and a small desk several feet away from him, upon which sat a stack of writing paper and a pen. He concluded that Harribel had written her note to him that way, somehow, and felt vast love and respect for her, both for managing to do it unsupervised and for risking herself for an ally.

The door he'd come in through opened, and someone entered, walking around Szayel's chair and standing in front of the desk to face him. The man was unfamiliar - he had untidy ash-blond hair and wore a dark green coat over a loose paler shirt and pants. Szayel looked hard, and thought he recognized a kindred spirit - this man was a scientist, like him. It was neither the pale skin nor the white, scholarly look of the hands exiting the baggy sleeves that gave the stranger away, but instead the curious, not entirely childlike way he had of looking out of his dark oil-painting eyes.

The intruder smiled, somewhat tentatively, and raised a hand to the back of his head. 'I'm very sorry for my lateness,' he apologised. 'I was trying to find my hat. As you can see, I was unsuccessful.'

Taken aback, Szayel nodded as if this made sense. He had expected to be on the receiving end of a full criminal trial at the tender mercies of the Central 46, not sitting in what looked like an interview room with a somewhat absentminded researcher. Was it possible he was being shown clemency in return for surrender?

'The Central 46 have a lot to deal with at the moment,' the man said, as if reading Szayel's mind. 'You are Szayel Aporro Granz, I believe. My name is Urahara Kisuke, and I will be interviewing you on their behalf.' He held out his hand, and then looked faintly sheepish when he realized Szayel was unable to shake it. He dismissed the guards, hastily sat behind the desk, and took up the pen, pulling a sheet of paper towards him.

'When did you first meet Namikawa Fumiko?' he asked.

Szayel met the man's gaze, knowing he didn't trust Urahara Kisuke in the slightest. His guess was that Urahara was far less scatterbrained than he looked, and that was the least of his reasons for being wary. If Szayel focused very hard, as he'd been too unprepared to do for Harribel, he could just detect Urahara's reiatsu - unmistakeably a Shinigami's, and probably captain-level to be perceptible at all past the reiatsu seals that had been placed on him. Yet the man wore no black shihakusho or white captain's haori, and that made Szayel uneasy. Even the Omnitsukidou, the Seireitei's secret police, wore a uniform. What was this man's affiliation with the Soul Society?

'Some months ago,' he replied. Szayel's thoughts raced, even as Urahara scribbled. Harribel had already been interviewed, and it was quite likely Grimmjow had as well. If Szayel could independently verify what information the two before him had given, then that would go a long way towards proving the innocence of all three of them - and their independence of Aizen's crimes. Szayel could guess what Urahara's next question was likely to be. He, and Soul Society, would most likely want to closely examine Amane Rei's purpose in Hueco Mundo. Grimmjow had obviously had the sense to give them a false name for her when he had been captured in Soul Society. It was likely he had not had the sense to hide his obvious attachment to her. Their captors would then possibly postulate that Amane had been Aizen's ally, or even work out the deeper truth - that she had been in love with him. That would mean certain imprisonment for her.

But then Szayel knew Grimmjow had no love for Aizen, and that was an understatement - he might say Amane had been kidnapped from the human world when questioned about her relationship with Aizen, rather than admit the more painful truth.

Even more so, he wished he had had the fleeting privacy necessary to read whatever Harribel had written to him. She would have worked all this out, and knew that everything hinged on whatever Szayel had to say.

'And how did you come to meet her?' Urahara asked, as expected.

Szayel decided to take an educated gamble. 'She was brought to Hueco Mundo on Lord Aizen's orders,' he replied. 'It was not expected that we ask further questions beyond following his wishes.'

Urahara didn't look surprised. He merely nodded and wrote. 'Did you grow close to her?' he continued.

Szayel answered honestly. 'I personally did not, at least not at first. But the Sexta Espada, who surrendered with me, cared for her greatly.' He saw no harm in admitting that - if he knew Grimmjow, it was common knowledge to Seireitei by now anyway. The Sexta was not subtle about his feelings. Szayel had often envied him for that.

'I see.' Urahara was regarding him steadily now. 'Grimmjow Jaggerjack?'

Szayel nodded.

'What changed your mind?' he continued. 'You said _not at first. _Did you also grow to care for her?'

Szayel hesitated. 'In a manner of speaking. Although I had vested interests at heart.' Urahara was silent, waiting for him to continue, and Szayel told him the sad story of what had happened to Harribel at Aizen's hands, forgetting his earlier thought that he was being more candid than he had intended. When he had finished Urahara nodded, and Szayel noticed that the man had not been writing for some time.

'And you feared something similar might happen to this human girl.'

'Grimmjow feared. I merely anticipated that I would be less powerless to stop it from happening this time around.' Szayel felt himself hesitate before asking a question in return, something Urahara would surely object to - but the man cut him off as he was about to start.

'Grimmjow's fears were justified,' he said quietly. 'I may as well tell you, since neither he nor Tia Harribel seemed to know and I doubt you would either, as she does not yet show physical signs of her condition. Namikawa Fumiko was medically examined by our Fourth Division and they discovered that she is almost three months pregnant.' He paused, as if expecting the news to shock Szayel. 'You don't look surprised.'

Szayel nodded, making himself look downcast. 'What Lord Aizen was doing was common knowledge among us Espada,' he answered, deliberately vague. That sentence, he knew, could be interpreted either way - saying that Aizen and Amane were regularly having consensual sex, or that Aizen had raped the girl he had kidnapped and more than once at that. He couldn't hazard a guess as to what Grimmjow and Harribel would have said on that subject.

'The Shinigami serving as examiner also discovered heavy bruising on her throat, wrists and ribcage. She reported that Miss Namikawa was cooperative during the examination, because she was catatonic.'

That did surprise Szayel. 'Shock?' he hazarded.

Urahara regarded him gravely. 'Is that truly all you think it is?' he asked. 'No, please let me rephrase that. During her time in Hueco Mundo, was Miss Namikawa happy?'

Szayel had to think hard about that very loaded question. He replayed everything he remembered about Amane's behaviour in his head, and tried to consider it objectively with what little he knew about her as a person. Quite a different answer came out of his mouth when he was finished.

'I can't see in someone else what I have never recognised firsthand,' he told this stranger, this man, this Shinigami - by definition, an enemy.

Urahara's expression did not change, but Szayel thought he detected the man's voice softening. 'Please do the best you can,' he replied. 'As a scientist.'

For a time, she had been, Szayel supposed. But it had been a very superficial sort of happiness, more akin to a childish joy at freedom and novelty than anything else. And when Aizen had put her at his side, that shallow happiness had turned bitter and capricious very quickly.

'He changed her,' Szayel said finally. 'Near the end -' He finally decided to say, simply and precisely, the truth. 'She always looked sick. In retrospect, it could have been the pregnancy. That is a condition I have little practical experience with in humans. But there is a difference between something part of a normal biological process and what I - and Grimmjow - saw in her. She constantly appeared tired, distracted. Ill.' Szayel felt tired himself. 'I am a researcher, not a doctor. But - I think there may have been something very wrong with her. Something Lord Aizen wrought in her. It was a preoccupation she never had when I first met her.'

Urahara was nodding slowly. 'Thus far,' he said, 'you have confirmed everything we suspected, and everything your comrades have told me in private. Namikawa Fumiko is currently being held in the psychiatric ward of the Fourth Division's hospital. This can only be a temporary measure. The reason I have been having these interviews with the three of you is to determine what might be done with her.'

For a moment, Szayel had a nagging sense that the Shinigami was not telling the whole truth.

'She can't be kept here.' Urahara set his paper and pen aside. 'Our oldest laws are against that.' He made a face. 'Soul Society does have a mental asylum, located in the Rukongai, but Namikawa Fumiko is a living human, not a soul. She will have to go back to the human world at the very least.'

Szayel could see the problems arising immediately. 'If she should ever come to her senses and tell anyone what happened to her, she would be considered delusional,' he said. 'At the very least.'

'And there is the matter of the child to consider.' Urahara's mouth twisted, as if someone had made some rather distasteful suggestion to him of what should be done with Aizen Sousuke's child, possibly borne of rape. 'My other problem concerns the fate of you three Espada.' He met Szayel's eyes. 'So tell me, Szayel Aporro Granz, what am I to do?'

Szayel knew that they, like Amane, would not be allowed to stay in Soul Society - essentially they were Hollow, traditionally the prey of Shinigami and vice versa. He also knew that the Central 46 would not want them returning to Hueco Mundo, and that Grimmjow would not leave Amane if she truly was powerless to help herself.

'There is only really one logical solution,' Urahara mused, still looking at Szayel. 'But you don't want to suggest it to me. Understandable.'

Szayel kept silent. Of course he didn't. There would be no way the Central 46, or the Gotei 13, would ever agree to such a thing.

'Three Espada forced to live as humans, caretakers for a mad girl in the world of the living.' Urahara sounded as if he were thinking aloud. 'Under constant surveillance by the Omnitsukidou. It is as good a punishment as any, don't you think?' He didn't wait for a reply. 'Of course, I would design the Gigais. They are quite ingenious, if I do say so myself. They constantly split the reiryoku of a spiritual entity - anyone wearing one for an extended period of time, Arrancar or Shinigami, will eventually lose his or her powers.'

'You cannot be serious. The Central 46 judicial body would never accept it, and neither would your captains.' The words escaped Szayel.

Urahara smiled. 'Oh, I do not think they will refuse me in this,' he said softly, rising from his seat. 'It is a very elegant solution, don't you agree? Besides, they told me every right was mine to do whatever I wish in this case. They owe me that much. At the very least,' he added. 'I don't mind if you read that, by the way. I watched her write it.'

Szayel twisted his hands, and felt for the scrap of paper as Urahara left the room. He just managed to glimpse what was on it before it fell to the floor, and the guards came back in. It was burned into his brain as they hoisted him out of the chair by the arms, leading him out of the room.

He pictured her hand in hers, just like the tiny ink drawing. He hadn't realized she had learnt to draw.

* * *

Urahara, you are just as devious as Aizen, and a moral grey area with it. And I get the feeling the powers that be didn't _really _give you the go-ahead to do whatever you want.

And Szayel and Harribel...awww.


	83. Inside the White Coffin

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 83

Inside the White Coffin

* * *

_Every word you're saying is a lie. _

…

_Bury all the memories_

_Cover them with dirt_

_Where's the love we once had?_

_Our destiny's unsure. _

…

_Is it all a lie?_

…

_And I still wonder_

_Why heaven has died_

_The skies are all falling_

_I'm breathing but why?_

_In silence I hold on to you and I. _

**-Fire and Ice, Within Temptation**

It was easier for all involved if Rei just pretended she was asleep.

She couldn't think clearly anyway, because everything led to him and hence everything hurt too much. She wondered where Sousuke was now. Probably in some Soul Society prison.

While she was stuck here, because they all thought she was pitiful and mad.

It was some sort of hospital. She had had little time to examine her surroundings - she had only woken up a short time ago - but Rei didn't need vision to tell her where she was. She could smell it all, clean linen and human bodies and disinfectant - although that last one was only faintly perceptible here. Rei had been in and out of specialists' offices and hospitals all her life, only to be told over and over again - despite the money her parents were willing to pay - that she wasn't sick enough to go on the waiting list for the heart transplant that would emancipate her.

She could hear the Shinigami walking around the ward, and feel their reiatsus as well. Those flickers of energy felt feather-light compared to Sousuke's, or any of the Espada. Rei hated hearing their whispered sympathies in undertones, as every so often one of them would pause by her bed. Even morbid curiosity would have been easier for her to bear. She would have preferred that - gleefully transferred rumours would have at least been informative.

_Look at me! _she wanted to scream at them, leaping out of the bed. _Look at what happened to him! Do you think I deserve your pity for being the one to bring him down?_

No. If they knew Rei had been the one to bring about Sousuke's defeat, they would praise her as a hero. The thought made her feel sick.

She occasionally heard a soft female voice politely ask if "someone would check up on Miss Namikawa", and deduced that Grimmjow had had the presence of mind to give their captors a pseudonym for her. Rei shivered in her hospital bed. She was human, after all - they would probably want to send her back to her own world, and if they had her real name, she would be returned to her parents. That she could not bear the thought of. It would be too much, on top of everything else that had happened. She would have to make up some lie explaining where she had been and they would see it on her face. They would see that she had been in love, and her mother - that woman - would sneer at her.

Once, and not so long ago at that, Rei would have thought nothing of it and sneered back. But now all the confidence and royal arrogance Sousuke had taught her had completely dissipated away, and she was once more just a sick girl in a hospital bed.

'Miss Namikawa,' a voice said gently. It was the same female voice from before, accompanied by a surprisingly strong reiatsu.

Rei remembered to open her eyes to the lie. A tall woman was standing over her, wearing the black shihakusho and white haori she had seen on Gin's projector slides during his impromptu lessons. _Captain, _she thought. That explained the strength of the spirit energy she had felt against her. The woman wore her hair in an odd fashion - it was long and heavy and dark, woven into a plait around her chin that hung below her face. She had a face that looked older than Rei's, with oddly striking violet eyes.

'My name is Unohana Retsu, and I am Captain of the Fourth Division. You are in my barracks.' A warm hand enveloped hers. 'Please move your fingers if you can understand what I am saying,' Unohana told her.

Rei thought, wondering whether she should feign incoherence and possibly lunacy. They probably all thought she possessed some degree of insanity anyway. Then she realized she would possibly end up in a mental asylum that way, hospitalized forever, the very thing she had feared for most of her life. She squeezed the woman's hand.

Unohana smiled. It was then that Rei felt the restriction of a bandage on her arm, and tried to move it - there was a thin rubber tube attached. That was explained away easily enough. It wasn't the first intravenous drip she'd had put into her.

'How are you feeling?' she asked.

Rei opened her mouth to speak, and felt her throat curiously restricted. She cleared her throat, and tried again - she felt a brief moment of panic when no sound escaped her lips. She wondered if she had lost her voice from screaming.

Unohana's smile fell. 'I thought this might happen,' she said softly. 'It's quite common for victims of trauma to lose the ability to speak.'

That sentence filled Rei with new horror. She remembered sitting at the piano with Sousuke, singing the song she had written. It seemed like an age ago. Singing had always been one of the few things she had done for herself. What if she were never able to sing again?

Perhaps she didn't want to. Rei thought on that, and wasn't sure whether it was right or wrong.

'It is always temporary. You will regain your voice in time.' There was a deep sorrow in Unohana's features. She looked, in that moment, like a queen in mourning. She attempted to smile again, breaking the illusion. 'You have visitors, Miss Namikawa. Do you feel up to seeing them?'

Rei nodded, guessing - hoping? - who was coming in.

Unohana left. Rei pulled herself into a sitting position. She noticed that there were white curtains circling her bed, forming a makeshift bedroom. She could see silhouettes against the curtains, and hear Unohana's voice.

'You may leave them in my charge. I will supervise them here.'

There was a murmur of a male voice, a sound of protest.

'My supervision is perfectly adequate,' Unohana repeated, and Rei shivered again. The woman's voice was light, friendly, polite, but carried an unmistakeable undercurrent of steel. Rei remembered that Unohana was a captain, after all, and was not tempted to wonder why.

The curtains opened, and in came the Espada. Harribel looked pale underneath her tanned skin, Szayel looked tired, and Grimmjow was the palest of all of them. All three of them had their hands behind their backs, and Rei couldn't feel even the faintest whisper of a reiatsu.

She opened her mouth, but remembered she could no longer speak. It seemed like too complex a question to ask using pantomime.

'A - Namikawa.' Grimmjow tripped over her alias, obviously forgetting it in the moment. Rei winced, but Unohana, entering again after the rest of them and serenely taking her place by Rei's bed with a book, seemed not to have noticed. 'How are you doing?'

Rei wondered how she could possibly begin to communicate that, and instead felt herself silently burst into tears. She was instantly ashamed of herself. It was the second time she had cried in front of Grimmjow. He looked embarrassed and more awkward than before, and ashamed because of it. Unohana stood, and wordlessly offered Rei something white. Rei took it gratefully - it was a sort of thin handkerchief - and wiped her eyes, which felt red and sore afterwards.

_Aizen, _she mouthed.

Grimmjow didn't understand, but Szayel obviously did. His eyes flicked over to Harribel's. Unohana was watching them at this, her violet eyes on Rei's face. She seemed pitying, like the other Shinigami.

'We all know you cared for him,' Harribel said.

Szayel gave Grimmjow a hard look at that, over Harribel's head, and Grimmjow looked more uncomfortable than ever. Rei was confused - surely they all knew that she would have figured out that he was imprisoned?

Unohana was watching her then, with that terrible pity in her eyes again, and Rei knew. Horribly, she knew.

'The Central 46 decided to execute Aizen,' Grimmjow said awkwardly. 'He was killed this morning.'

Rei couldn't breathe, and she knew then that she would never be able to sing again, because her fragile glass heart had broken and the shards had cut her vocal chords to ribbons. Her lungs were dying, and she knew she should be gasping for air, but the whole world was silent.

Harribel was biting her lip hard, and she finally spoke. 'We should go.'

'I think that would be best,' Unohana said, and stood up. They left her alone in that hospital bed, in the silent world of white. All Rei could think of was Las Noches and the fact that she had told him she had loved him only to stab him in the back, and that she had exchanged his life for her worthless own.

One of them would have had to go, and it should have been her.

_It should have been me, _she tried to scream, but none of them heard it because she had no voice.

* * *

I came up with the idea of Rei losing her voice in this way fairly recently, but everything else has been planned out for a while. I think this is how the entire Bleach fandom felt when Kubo wrote Aizen out of the plot. The current story arc…I agreed with you, **4everbrisingr, **when you so aptly called it 'this Tsukishima Fullbringer crap'. Seriously…I guess some people must like it since the manga appears to be selling, but it feels like filler to me because I honestly can't bring myself to care about the story or the characters. It's like the Bount arc all over again. It feels like a tacked-on extension so Kubo can keep drawing the manga, and it's not working for me. In my opinion, he should have ended it after he got rid of Aizen…let's face it, any villain he comes up with afterwards is not going to be able to top Aizen-sama, in power or anything similar.

This seems like the right time to make my announcement. As everyone knows I've been trying to write this within canon events and for the most part succeeding. I know that chronologically after this, the Fullbringer story starts. Since I don't consider it to be canon in any way, I'm going to ignore it completely - none of the characters or events in the Fullbringer arc are going to be mentioned here. I hope this doesn't offend anyone who's reading. Please let me know if it does, and I'll try to do something about it.


	84. Awakening

Have any of you ever written something only to come back much later, read over it and cringe at how bad and childish it was? I do this on a regular basis - occasionally to chapters of this story. Then I remember that it's probably the most ambitious thing I've ever written, and also that I'm a raging perfectionist of the slightly OCD variety.

Sorry for the slight delay with this chapter - it's somewhat longer than my past few, and it was a tricky one to write, but that's not the only reason. I'll be honest with you. I started playing StarCrack II (because that's basically what it is in terms of addictiveness) again, took a tentative shot at playing Protoss, and discovered I was hooked. For the second time around. This will probably make my boyfriend happy (as he has a preference for Protoss/Terran). "My life for Aiur, my heart for you."

Well, that was incredibly sappy and horribly geeky and those of you who play StarCraft or StarCraft II are probably facepalming very hard right now. (In my defence, someone on dA coined this gem, not me.) I shall leave you all to the chapter I've finally written before I say anything else to make your eyes bleed.

A few last comments: I understand that I confused a lot of people with the last chapter - I realize that I established the premise that Rei was to be portrayed as Aizen's victim to Soul Society, and the scene in 83 seemed to contradict that. I'm sorry - hopefully all becomes clear here. Ditto to the statement about Aizen's "death."

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

Chapter 84

For Her, All of Her

* * *

_Are you looking for saviour?_

_Chasing a dream_

_Love turned to hate;_

_Now I'm crossing the border_

…

_Come break away with me_

…

_I've been drowning in sorrow_

_Chasing tomorrow, running_

_Now you're crossing the border_

_Sealing tomorrow_

_But you're not afraid. _

**-Sinéad, Within Temptation**

Tia Harribel was furious.

It was rare, very rare, that she ever showed any sign of anger, let alone lost her temper. She had that much in common with Lord Aizen. Unlike Lord Aizen, Harribel did not simply keep a veil over her violent side - she had never had one to conceal. She had been a simple, mostly accepting soul. Harribel had never been the sort to seek battles for the sake of fighting, to cause conflict where it wasn't necessary. She had been content to dream, to wonder, until those fragile privileges too had been taken from her. Even then, she had recognized the futility of struggling against Aizen. She had gotten back on her feet and she had remembered that there were other people in the world besides herself, other people worth remembering. She had made herself keep going for all those people, and she had gradually learnt to bear her torment until the fresh pain of it started to recede.

Harribel remembered them again. There were her Fracción, gathered around her as allies and even friends in such an unlikely place. There was Coyote Starrk, whom she had respected and had always respected her. He had spent his entire life being far more alone than any of them. Even Ichimaru Gin, whom all the Espada had known was just as self-serving and ruthless as the man he played jester to, had insisted on treating all of them as though they were a sort of bizarre little family. Sometimes, in private moments, Harribel allowed herself to think - perhaps a little too generously - that maybe the silver-haired, perpetually smiling man had only lost his way, even if a long time ago.

Unbidden, a new face entered her mind, one that hadn't been among her list of unknowing saviours then. Harribel found herself remembering along with all the lost faces the touch of the Octava Espada's hand on her own that day in the laboratory. She recalled his eyes behind his glasses, softer than she had ever seen them before. She realized how much it would hurt her if he had been a knowing party to this - this monstrous lie.

As soon as they had left the Fourth Division's barracks, Harribel had rounded on her so-called confidantes - or tried to. They were back in the company of their silent, white-garbed escort, and that had mercifully given Harribel enough time to pause for thought. It would do them no good for her to have her outburst here, in full hearing of their captors. If they were to appear divided, it might go badly for them - and worse for her, since her objections would make her appear sympathetic to Aizen.

Harribel shuddered at the thought, momentarily distracted. She could admit it to herself now that she was no longer under his thumb, and she refused to entertain the childish fear that he might yet still break free from his prison. She was an Espada, and the Tres at that. She would force herself away from the nightmares of his hands on her bare skin, and she would stop hiding under her bed at the thought of Aizen Sousuke. She would say it to herself, here and now, and she made herself say it aloud, so as to be sure of her conviction.

'I hate him,' she whispered to her empty cell. Even these secret words felt like she was summoning the devil himself, as though she were conjuring the man who had raped her back out of her nightmares.

'Get away from me,' she murmured. 'Take heed to thyself and see my face no more. For in the day thou see my face, thou shalt die.' Harribel knew where the quote came from - a human religious scripture, of which she had forgotten the name. She had no further desire to believe in any more gods. Nevertheless, it was good advice.

She could certainly forget Aizen Sousuke forever - and she would do it quite happily, if it were possible. But Amane Rei would not. Harribel had seen it in the girl's face, drained white and bloodless in the hospital ward.

Like it or not, she had tied herself to Aizen - merged part of herself to him even, until the part she had merged was no longer retrievable, entwined with the amoral Shinigami like the limbs of unborn Siamese twins. And with Aizen's "death" - with the lie that Grimmjow Jaggerjack had so unforgivably told her - part of Amane had died too.

Harribel had been furious, and she continued to be furious even now. But her fury was no longer of the hot-blooded variety, fresh under her skin and seeking a fight - it had grown lukewarm and unpleasantly stagnant, yet still unbearably impatient. She was an Espada, after all, and they had been made as soldiers in an army. If she needed - or wanted - to fight, then it would happen. And Grimmjow had been the matador raising the red flag.

Harribel started. They were opening her cell, which could only mean that today was the day. The Shinigami who wasn't a Shinigami - the mysterious blond man, Urahara, who had played at absentmindedness and quickly dropped the act once he realized Harribel was no fool - had said they would be punished by enforced exile in the human world, in Gigais that would slowly sap away their powers.

Harribel rose, expecting the white guards to take her by the wrists. Instead, they moved aside.

She recognized it from what brief time she had spent in Szayel's lab. The gurney being wheeled in now bore a body, draped in a sheet of blue plastic. Harribel could guess what it was. She felt a flutter in her chest, and acknowledged again that to her, this was no punishment. She would not begrudge her life sentence, because it was here that her life would begin rather than end.

A short-of-stature Shinigami with a rather put-upon expression was wheeling the gurney in. He had the appearance of a young boy, younger than the white-haired Captain with the frosty stare that Harribel had fought in the sky. He wore a white lab coat over his black shihakusho, and flinched when he saw Harribel looking at him, his expression changing to one of shyness.

'Don't be afraid, Rin-chan. I'm sure Harribel-san won't bite.' The blond Shinigami strolled in, looking completely at ease by comparison. 'And good morning to you, Harribel-san. I trust you are well this morning?'

As always, the man's politeness made Harribel guarded. Aizen had been the same. 'I am well enough,' she replied, without either rudeness or invitation to continue the conversation further.

'Rin-chan, if you would do the honours?' The small Shinigami nodded, and began the job of pulling the sheet of plastic - which was apparently heavier than it looked - off the gurney. Harribel took a step closer.

It was her, uncannily so. At first Harribel was unnerved by it. Without a soul, the Gigai looked lifeless, its skin waxy - what she imagined a corpse prepared for burial would look like. She looked at its face without the mask that covered her own chin and throat - such a thing would be out of place in the world of the living - and wondered how on earth she could bear spending the rest of her life inside this thing.

Then her eyes noticed the clothing the figure wore. Harribel had seen such clothes in pictures of the human world, in the books she had stolen her own quiet moments with - black slacks on the lower half, a pale blue silk shirt that was buttoned to the place where her body's collarbones met, and a darker jacket over the top of that. Although her own curves were visible underneath all that, the outfit was androgynous - comfortably so. Harribel had spent her time in Las Noches in what most would regard as a rather revealing outfit. Here, she - the Gigai - looked modest, her physical femininity subdued. She could feel safe in this body. Tia looked closer, at the Gigai's throat, and saw it free of the long white scar. No one had filled Urahara in on that particular detail.

'Does it meet with your approval?' Urahara asked, smiling, and Harribel nodded. 'Thank you,' she said, her guard lifting for a moment. 'I appreciate it.'

Urahara nodded, seeming to sense that she intended to convey more than just gratitude for the artificial body. 'Seireitei has decreed that the four of you will live as Namikawa Fumiko's caretakers in the world of the living, under false human identities.'

Harribel frowned. Surely the Shinigami had made a mistake. Urahara noticed her confusion, and elaborated. 'Our research division returned to the replica of Karakura Town in the world of the living and discovered, quite by accident, another injured Espada. As Coyote Starrk seemed willing to cooperate and surrender upon his recovery, he will be joining you other three in your sentence.' He paused, waiting for her reaction.

Harribel felt a combination of relief and guilt. Of course, she was glad now that her fellow Espada was alive - but felt ashamed that she hadn't considered his fate before now. That led her to thoughts of King Barragan, who had been the last of the trio to fight in the human world alongside Aizen. Surely this research group would have looked for Barragan, since they had already recovered Starrk and herself - Harribel could only assume that he had perished. That knowledge did not harm her. There had never been any love lost between herself and Barragan Luisenbarn.

'Starrk always viewed his strength as a burden,' she said, surprising herself with the admission. 'I do not think he will be sorry to lose his powers.'

'I see. He told me as much himself.' Urahara regarded her. 'Our secret police - the Omnitsukidou - have already forged the necessary human documents for all of you. As Starrk-san is the least - ah, _unusual _- in appearance, we have renamed him as Namikawa Starke, a distant relative of Namikawa Fumiko's, who will be her guardian by human law.'

'Has she no human family that will miss her?' Harribel asked, out of curiosity more than anything else. She wondered how the Soul Society would explain Amane's condition - heavily nuanced term that that was - to any true living relatives. It would have to be against their laws, certainly, to falsify a convenient death for Amane to her real family.

Urahara looked downcast at that. 'She had an uncle, Namikawa Sousuke, who apparently disappeared some months ago. He owned a research company. He seems to have been a reclusive man who was rarely ever seen by his employees - who all noted that Namikawa was often overseas for months at a time on conferences and such, conducting his business at a distance. The disappearance of a man like that wouldn't have been noticed for some time.'

Harribel understood. Although Sousuke was not an uncommon given name, the similarity couldn't be a coincidence. This was Amane's alias, after all. Aizen had covered himself well. She hoped Urahara couldn't see it in her eyes. She had never been an accomplished liar, or desired to learn that particular trade.

'Miss Namikawa has no other family to our knowledge,' Urahara concluded. 'And she is only sixteen in human years, so she must have a guardian.' He changed the subject. 'Would you please enter your Gigai, Harribel-san?' he asked.

Harribel complied. She hadn't done this in so long that the body felt awkward and constraining at first, and it took her a while to navigate the simple task of opening its eyes. Finally she managed, and slowly levered herself up from the gurney. She felt stiff and sore, as though she had fallen asleep in a bad position.

'If you would come this way?' The small Shinigami was talking to her now. 'The Senkaimon is ready.'

Harribel nodded slowly, and began the tricky business of walking. She stumbled more than once, but made her way along the corridor. Her eyes hurt, and she blinked several times before she realized that everything she saw looked blurry and indistinct. At first she thought the Gigai was faulty, and then she remembered that it was designed to split her reiryoku and her ability to perceive reiatsu - and nothing around her was corporeal.

Soon she felt fresh air on her skin, and looked up to see the unrelenting blueness of sky. She hadn't been outside in days and true sky was still a novelty for her - she had only ever had the painted ceiling of Las Noches or the dull grey void of the outside with its static moon.

'Harribel-san?' It was Urahara again, and Harribel forced herself out of her reverie. She could see the others in the distance. They were easy to pick out - they were the only objects in her field of vision she could perceive clearly. She saw Starrk, looking uncomfortable in a sombre dark suit and crisp white collar; Grimmjow similarly so, although he had forgone the jacket that Starrk wore and undone the top two buttons of his shirt. The latter hurriedly looked away when he saw Harribel. Next to him - and Harribel's breath caught in her throat, because the tangled confused feelings were coming back as an anxious sense of possible betrayal - was Szayel, dressed in slacks and a pale collared shirt like her own. He wore a lab coat over the top of his outfit. He, unlike Grimmjow, met her eyes. That made Harribel feel marginally better.

And the girl he was holding by the arm -

Harribel drew in a breath. Amane didn't look ill, not exactly. She certainly looked in better physical condition than she had that last day in Hueco Mundo. Although pale as ever, her skin no longer had that sickly lustre to it, and the dark circles under her eyes had receded. Her long dark hair was pinned back out of her face, and she was wearing a modest outfit similar to Harribel's own - dark pants and a deep blue blouse.

What had startled Harribel was the utter lack of life in the girl's eyes. They had always been a pale silver-grey, flashing with life and sharp intelligence; now they merely looked dull and colourless. Amane had never been beautiful in what Harribel knew was the conventional fashion for humans - she had known from Grimmjow that Amane had compared herself to Orihime Inoue and thought that she was wanting, more than once. Nevertheless, after Aizen had taken her as his consort, Amane had developed a kind of self-assurance, arrogance even, in her own induced desirability. She had had a sharp, sarcastic prettiness. That too was gone now. The girl Szayel was holding at the arm could almost have been an empty Gigai.

Harribel barely heard anything as Urahara led them to the Senkaimon. She barely noticed the guards at their sides as they moved through. She could only feel the confused, sick betrayal and anger at the false truth that had killed this girl.

It was indeed a monstrous lie.

She wanted to close her hands around Grimmjow's throat and shake the truth out of him, but she could not do it here, and not in front of Amane. As though the Senkaimon had sensed her thoughts, they approached the end of the void between the worlds. Harribel saw the bright light, surely only a dull grey but looking like the purest white after so much roaring blackness.

The guards waited as they exited, standing solemn as executioners. Harribel realized they were expecting an attempt at escape, and almost smiled at the thought. The churning of the feelings inside her stopped that in its tracks.

The Senkaimon closed behind them, and Harribel examined her surroundings. It was an immense relief to be able to see clearly again. They were in some sort of office room. The carpet was a plush pale grey, the sky outside a patchy variant of the same through slices of beige vertical blinds. The walls were white and unadorned. The only interruption to the silent, unobjecting paleness of the room was a large and heavy-looking wooden desk, upon which were five flawlessly straight stacks of paper.

Harribel walked toward the desk, examining the writing on the top sheet of each stack. She soon realized that these were the official documents of which Urahara had spoken. Her own name was there, printed on a birth certificate. There was the name of the hospital she had supposedly been born in, and the names of the people who had supposedly given birth to her. Harribel felt an unexpectedly sharp pang at that. She wondered what it would have been like to have a real family. Of course, she had had one once. Before she had become an Espada, she had been a Vasto Lorde; and before then, she had been a Hollow. And everyone knew all Hollows had once been human.

Try as she might, she couldn't remember.

'Amane?' Grimmjow was speaking behind her. 'How are you feeling?'

Harribel's mood soured at that. The lie had definitely been condoned by Grimmjow - she knew full well how he felt about Amane - and it had almost certainly been his idea. She turned around, and accidentally caught the girl's eyes in her own. Amane instantly looked away.

'I'm fine,' she said in a monotone.

Grimmjow opened his mouth, but Harribel glared at him. He raised an eyebrow at her as if to say, _What's your problem_?

'I need to talk to you in private,' she said brusquely, leaving no room for argument. Grimmjow looked uncomfortable again. _That's right, _Harribel thought savagely as he edged unwillingly towards the office door. _You know damn well what my problem is. _

The aggressive tone of the thought surprised her, despite her feelings. She had never been inclined towards swearing. Harribel suspected that was about to change in the near future.

She marched towards the door, beating him to it - and stopped. 'Wait.' It was Szayel. 'Jaggerjack, stay here with Amane. I need to speak to Harribel-san.'

Grimmjow spun, looking visibly relieved, and Harribel turned her glare to Szayel. 'Don't interfere -'

'I know what you want to ask him, and I'm much better equipped to answer,' Szayel cut in, looking strained. 'Please trust me.'

Harribel gave in and beckoned him out of the room. They walked through the door into a similarly carpeted corridor, as starkly empty as the room had been. Harribel shut the door and folded her arms across her chest. Szayel shook his head, indicating they should move out of earshot. Harribel saw the logic in that, and followed his lead.

'Well?' she demanded when they stopped. 'Who came up with it? And don't pretend you don't know what I mean.'

Szayel looked visibly nervous. Obviously he still thought of her as the Tres Espada, and a very small part of Harribel felt disproportionately pleased with that. 'You probably think it was Grimmjow's idea.'

'And was it?' Harribel asked, trying not to lose patience. All the emotions she had kept bottled up over their days of confinement were now competing with each other to break free.

'I don't know what I can say to make you believe me.' Szayel looked directly at her. 'It wasn't. But I'm sure you can guess that he didn't object to the idea.'

Harribel stared at him in silence for a moment, slowly finding her voice. 'Then who? You?'

Szayel sighed heavily. 'It was Soul Society's idea. That man Urahara was in a room with their captains. They called in Grimmjow and I to ask us what we thought.' Sensing her reaction, he continued. 'I was against it at first.'

'At first?'

'Yes. You know as well as I that Amane - fell in love with Aizen. If you can call it love, one-sided as it was.' Szayel paused before continuing. 'The captains of the Gotei 13 suspected it too.'

Harribel was silent, processing the implications.

'Their general consensus seemed to be that Amane's - devotion to him was the product of something known to human psychologists as Stockholm Syndrome. This describes a state of mind where victims of kidnapping and subsequent abuse begin to harbour sympathetic feelings towards their tormentors,' Szayel explained. 'We both know what Aizen was like, and so did these captains - something similar happened to Aizen's Shinigami lieutenant during his time in Seireitei. She grew immensely attached to him, and was fiercely loyal even after his defection. She would allow no criticism of him. I was - curious - about Aizen's past in Hueco Mundo. I have researched it thoroughly.'

Harribel nodded impatiently, waiting for him to get to the point.

'The fact that Amane was found distressed, pregnant, and with signs of physical abuse, supported this theory - that she did not love him of her own free will. However,' Szayel continued, 'there were doubts. It was very strongly debated whether letting Amane loose into the world of the living was a good idea. The primary concern was that she would try to help him escape, by rallying us against Soul Society.'

'Then they are fools!' Harribel stared at him, astonished. 'Even at full strength, we were struggling against the Gotei captains. In these Gigais, with our powers limited, what are we supposed to do? What did they think we were going to do?'

Szayel shrugged. 'I don't know. But essentially, the captains decided that they needed some sort of test to determine the true nature of Amane's feelings - one that would determine whether or not she was truly mentally disturbed, and whether she was Aizen's ally or simply his victim. They proposed, simply, that she be allowed to believe that he was dead.'

'You said you were against it. Why didn't you argue?' Harribel asked.

He sighed again. 'You can see how that would have looked, can't you? Yes, I knew it would destroy her. And they knew it too - the lieutenant was the same, when Aizen tried to kill her. After that betrayal and abandonment, even though the bond was all in her head - the girl had to be hospitalized for her own safety. They feared she would try to take her own life.' Szayel regarded her, desperation in his eyes. 'I'm not callous - not the way I was. I'm not a fool. I knew that arguing against it would have sent her to an asylum somewhere in this world where the Omnitsukidou could be sent to safely spy on her. And we would be considered liars and possibly spies, probably convicted of treason. Do you know what that means? We would be sent to rot in the lowest level of Avici with Aizen for company.' He shook his head. 'We were to tell Amane that Aizen had been executed by Soukyoku when she recovered enough to understand speech, and we were to do it in the presence of a captain. They knew she would despair. They expected powerless despair from a victim, enraged despair from an accomplice. Either way, Soul Society wins because Amane is too broken to pose any threat to them, and we are all on our way to becoming humans,' Szayel finished.

'I judged you too quickly.' Harribel put her hand on Szayel's shoulder, feeling irreparably guilty. 'I'm sorry.' She knew that any of the other Espada wouldn't have understood why she cared, and part of her was surprised Szayel did at all. That only made her guilt stronger.

'Am I correct in assuming you're still angry at Grimmjow?' Szayel asked.

Harribel thought, and shook her head. 'No,' she said. 'But I'm - upset that he would go along with it so easily, when he had to know what it would do to her.'

'He's confused. He thinks that of all people -'

'No,' she said firmly. 'No. Whatever he was to me - he was something else to her.' A thought occurred to Harribel then. 'And what about the -' She couldn't bring herself to say it, instead resting a hand on her stomach in pantomime.

'Yes, that. Amane's child.' Szayel had Grimmjow's uncomfortable look on then. He met her eyes, obviously unwillingly. 'It would be easier for all involved if -'

'Would you condone that?' she interrupted. Harribel realized by the heavy pause that fell afterwards that she was asking more than she'd intended, and they both knew it. She was asking if Szayel could conscionably entertain the notion of terminating the life inside Amane without her knowledge, but she was also asking him how much he'd changed.

It wasn't something the old Szayel would have objected to. The old Szayel would have done it in a heartbeat. But Harribel had never held hands with the old Szayel. She had never drawn the old Szayel a tiny picture of that small simple gesture, just to remind him that he wasn't alone. And she had never, ever considered - telling the old Szayel that she might want him to kiss her, not with cold forceful power as Aizen had, but with something softer and warmer and much more fragile.

The Szayel standing in front of her, to whom she'd offered all these things, hesitated. Looking astonishingly vulnerable, he bit his lip. 'I could not,' he said finally. 'It would be kinder. But I could not.'

That was all Harribel needed. She sought out his eyes with her own then and told him without words.

For an awful moment - the step off a flight of stairs into empty darkness - Harribel thought he hadn't understood, or even worse, that he didn't want what she was offering him.

Then he stepped closer to her, looking young and still vulnerable. Harribel realized she was taller than him - just slightly. It didn't impede the way he pressed his lips to hers, his skin a few degrees cooler than her own, waiting as if to make sure it was really all right.

Then she embraced him tightly, holding onto him for dear life. She could feel her ghosts behind her, she could feel the man who had taken her first from her by force hovering at her shoulder, and she was damned if she was going to let him have her second too.

* * *

D'awwwww. That's been coming for a long time.

I hope this (somewhat longer than usual) chapter made up for my prolonged abstinence from this story. is evil, and so is TVTropes, and SC2. I'm going to be doing so much work this coming semester, I can tell.

So, now that they're all in Gigais, the long-awaited moment is coming. Since it's a Bleach tradition, I think I'm obliged to put this in somewhere.

Someone is going to have the juice box moment. By which I mean one of our lovely Espada wants to drink delicious juice, but can't figure out how to do it and is baffled by plastic straws. (Man, it would be funny as hell if Aizen ended up in the human world and did this. OOC, but funny as hell.)


	85. New Gods Part I

Hey, surprise update! This is the chapter that I had almost done, and I just finished an exam (whoo) and felt like writing. So here it is! The beginning of the mini post-timeskip arc.

I came up with a way to write this timeskip: it seemed dumb and ungraceful to just put "Two Years Later" smack bang in the middle of a narrative. So I'm trying for a different style to set the mood. I'm using a mini plot arc to establish how the characters have changed over the time period, using "The New Gods" as the title. It's sort of a loose homage to Neil Gaiman's _American Gods, _which is an amazing book. There are parallels between the "gods" and the imprisoned Espada if you squint really hard.

Anyway, I hope you like it. It's been a while since I've written anything, and I have assignments to work on during the break…so this is

* * *

Angina/Symphony

* * *

**Seventh Movement:**

_Reign of Terror_

* * *

Chapter 85

The New Gods

* * *

Part I

Reveille

* * *

_It's in your eyes, a colour fade out_

_Looks like a new transition_

_Is starting up and shaking your ground_

_Turning your head to see a new day calling. _

**-Witchcraft, Pendulum**

It is overcast today. The air feels thick and heavy, and the man walking towards the thirty-storey steel and glass building that housed the Namikawa Group's Tokyo headquarters feels constricted trying to breathe it in. He wonders how long it will take to finally get used to this world, when even its air is so clumsy and achingly physical.

The front of the building is deserted, free of the usual crowd of employees in their pressed work suits coming and going on lunch breaks. This doesn't surprise the man, who wasn't a man but had lived as one for the past two years. It is a Saturday, after all, but protocol dictates that he comes in today to do the signing off himself. And as he has learnt in his time here, protocol is disproportionately important to humans.

He fishes in the breast pocket of his suit - which is navy blue, pinstriped and designer-expensive, something he never would have dreamed of wearing before - and draws out his security card. He swipes it and pushes his way through meticulously polished glass rotating doors into the marble foyer. The security guard behind the desk nods deferentially, asks how Namikawa-san is doing this morning. 'Fine, thank you,' the man answers, noting that he has gone by the false identity for so long that he no longer needs to remind himself to answer to it. He moves through the security gates inside to the elevator nearby, punches in a number, and rides in it to the top.

When he arrives at the company's head office, his own personal place of work, the small group of people that are important enough to witness what will happen are already there. There is a scientist instantly recognisable by the lab coat he always wears, despite the fact that he is head of the Namikawa Group's department of research and does little practical work himself. The company knows him as Zaeraporro Grantz, a German-Japanese biochemist who studied his doctorate at the University of Munich. His longish pink hair is neatly pinned back from his face. Next to him is his fiancée, a statuesque bronze-skinned woman with short blonde hair and striking green eyes. She has carried the name Tier Halibell for two years and professes to have met her partner while undertaking her business degree at Munich, in her birth country. She acts as his assistant in the company's research sector, dealing with the administrative side of things.

The blue-haired man standing a little away from her looks uncomfortable, as always, in his ill-fitting grey suit. He goes by the name Grimmjow Jaegerjacquez now and poses as head of the company's security. As far as the business itself is concerned, his presence here is not required or even regarded as particularly important. But he, of all of them, has always been the closest to the heir - and she stands slightly apart from the little group, just as she has always been.

She wears a pale cream suit with a crimson blouse underneath. Her hair, as unruly as ever, is pinned back, the dark curls forced to behave. The man who had once been Coyote Starrk, Primera Espada, studies her, mentally comparing her physical appearance to that of two years ago. He supposes it would not be a lie to say she looks well, more so than then. She has grown past her awkward thin adolescence, where her sharp intelligence burned feverishly in her eyes, to womanhood.

None of them had really anticipated she would make it this far. When he had learnt about the child, he had watched her closely, unsure of what would happen. They had all been watching her, waiting for her to figure it out. One day, Starrk had seen her in the bathroom wearing only a nightgown. The girl's hair had been long and wet, dampening the thin silk in places and causing it to cling to her changing body. He had watched her stare at herself in the mirror with empty eyes, passing her hands over the rounded curve of her belly. Like the intruder he was, he had felt shame and left.

And then two mornings later -

No one of the four of them had ever had the truth from her. Neither Starrk himself, nor Harribel, nor Szayel, nor Grimmjow who was so devoted to her, had ever been game to ask. And Starrk himself had always been inclined to leave well enough alone.

What was done was done, after all, and she never seemed any different afterward. She has been empty still, and the four of them have grown up around her in an attempt to fill that emptiness.

And to an extent - but only to an extent - they have succeeded.

Starrk takes the papers lying on the desk that has been his for the past two years, until today. He lifts the fountain pen in his hand and signs through several pages of legal documents, signing over the company rights and ownership to the girl who is supposed to be his second cousin once removed. The Namikawa Group now belongs to Namikawa Fumiko, eighteen years of age today and able to inherit her so-called uncle's fortune.

It is done. The girl documented as Namikawa Fumiko shows no joy at her newfound wealth or even a sign of interest that she is now, in human terms, legally emancipated. She coughs, says she is feeling unwell. Then she excuses herself.

Starrk sighs. He expected as much, that she would be unwilling to participate. He places the folder he has carried to their meeting on the desk nearby, and opens it. Inside there are several sheets of lined paper, covered in his sprawling handwriting.

The others present their offerings as well. Harribel reaches into her bag and places a leather notebook on the desk surface. Szayel's is loose handwritten notes like his own, but adorned in a much more elaborate looped penmanship. And Grimmjow's…Grimmjow's story is a spiral-bound notebook, loose sheets sandwiched between its pages, blue ballpoint scrawl occasionally visible on exposed corners. The ink is blotched and smeared in places, and the man in the ill-cut suit glares at Starrk out of eyes so bright blue they look artificial. It is as if he is daring Starrk to comment, but Starrk does not.

He can understand why Grimmjow might feel resentment towards him. This idea was his, after all.

Starrk isn't entirely sure what induced him to do it, now of all times. It has been two years on, and yet now he has suggested that they write it all down, each of them in their own words.

He knows that the root of it lies in his own uncertainty. Even now, Starrk cannot shake his vague sense of unease at the knowledge that they have all lied to Amane. It is a white lie, he knows, and he understands why it was necessary. Their former master is imprisoned, in any case, most likely mad or halfway there after his two years of confinement. There is no way Aizen Sousuke will ever come back to haunt any of them.

And yet he has come back to haunt Coyote Starrk, and Starrk has only just now felt the need to set the record straight.

He sits at the desk - he is still the Primera, after all - and opens the first of the accounts of all that has gone before. It is Harribel's, and he opens the leather notebook and reads in silence.

* * *

Damn it. I finally get holidays (being able to browse the Internet relatively guilt-free) and my younger brother kills the WiFi by fucking around with it in order to go on Xbox Live.

…This is why we (and by we I mean I) can't have nice things.

Hopefully Dad works it out soon...otherwise procrastinating (by which I totally mean doing assignments) is going to be difficult.


End file.
